SSL stands for "Secure Sockets Layer". (Secure Sockets Layer), the leading security protocol on the Internet. Developed by Netscape, SSL is widely used to do two things : to validate the identity of a Website and to create an encrypted connection for sending credit card and other personal data. For further details check out What is SSL Security !

When a user enters a site that is SSL enabled, he will see a "pad lock" at the browser's status bar indicating that the page is protected by SSL. When a site is SSL enabled, it means that the data transmitted between the browser and the site is encrypted. For example, Webmage's signup page is SSL enabled.

        

When a website has an SSL Certificate integrated, its address normally starts with https:// instead of the regular http://. The addition of "s" indicates that the connection to the website's server is now secure and private data that is entered into the website can't be read by anyone except those authorized to read it.

Apart from SSL, another protocol for transmitting data securely over the World Wide Web is Secure HTTP (S-HTTP). Whereas SSL creates a secure connection between a client and a server, over which any amount of data can be sent securely, S-HTTP is designed to transmit individual messages securely. SSL and S-HTTP, therefore, can be seen as complementary rather than competing technologies. Both protocols have been approved by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as a standard.

The number of bits represent the key length used during SSL encryption. Longer key length corresponds to more difficulty in cracking the key and hence higher SSL Security.

Generally there are two strengths of certificate in existence - 40 bit & 128 bit. 256 bit is now also available but requires a combination of the use of specific browsers (currently Firefox) and a specific web server (currently Apache). SSLGenie Certificates support 256 bit encryption.

Hovering the mouse over the gold padlock will detail the current strength of encryption being used :

         

The bigger the number, the longer it takes for computer processors to crack or break the code.

• 40 bit : It is computationally feasible to crack a 40 bit key. For this reason 40 bit encryption is rarely used.
• 128 /256 bit : It is computationally unfeasible to crack a 128 / 256 bit key. SSLGenie strongly recommends the use of 128 / 256 bit SSL encryption for any application or website.

An analogy can be drawn between a telephone conversation and interaction with a website on the Internet, for the purposes of explanation.

The 2 factors that need to be taken into account when you make a telephone call are :

1. Are you speaking with the person you intended to speak with?
   
   In a phone conversation, what can you do to ensure the person who picks up the phone on the other line is really the person you intended to call? If you've never spoken to them before, this is increasingly difficult. What if the phone call is answered by an imposter, trying to fool you into thinking they are the person you are attempting to contact? Might your phone call have been intercepted and re-routed? Who are you giving your information to?
   
   In the same way on the Internet, it is important to make sure that you are connected to the right website. If you are connected to the wrong website and you end up providing your personal details/credit card information, you would be victim of Internet fraud. A website that is secured with SSLGenie Certificates is totally safe to deal with.
2. Is your conversation really private? or is someone overhearing your talks?
   
   It is very easy to tap phone lines and have conversations monitored for an extended period of time with no detection. The Internet is no different. What if someone was tapping and recording your Internet usage, capturing your passwords, social security numbers, bank account numbers, credit card information, and confidential documents. Without encryption, the Internet would be an unusable resource today.
   
   Once again, you need an SSL Certificate from a trusted provider such as SSLGenie, to make sure your information is encrypted and sent to the intended recipient.

An SSL VPN (Secure Sockets Layer Virtual Private Network) is a form of VPN that can be used with a standard Web browser. In contrast to the traditional IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) VPN, an SSL VPN does not require the installation of specialized client software on end users' computers.

The SSL VPN can be a good choice for schools, libraries and public kiosks where trust can be an issue but easy access is also important. Applications include Web-based e-mail, business and government directories, databases for educational institutions, file sharing, remote backup, remote system management and consumer-level e-commerce.

SSLGenie Certificates are specifically suited for this purpose.

Almost every service on the internet can be protected with an SSL Certificate. SSLGenie certificates can work with any device or software that supports the use of an SSL Certificate.

• HTTPS (Secure Web Pages) - SSL Certificates are specifically designed for websites that sell products or services online (e-commerce websites) or need visitors to input their sensitive data on the website. An SSL Certificate on a website is usually a sign of the website following stringent security measures where information and data management is concerned. It is likely that visitors to a website will only transact if an SSL certificate exists. SSLGenie offers both entry level (Flash SSLGenie) and premium certificates for securing e-commerce websites.
• Web Mail/POP (Incoming E-Mail) /IMAP/SMTP (Outgoing E-Mail).
• Control Panels - Control panels are secured member areas and need to be safeguarded from fraudsters.
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
• VPN and Extranet - Corporate companies are using SSL Certificates for securing sharing of files and other confidential and sensitive data over their intranet. Such SSL Certificates are usually integrated with their VPN or extranet.

The main objective of an SSL Certificate is to secure and encrypt private information such as credit card details, phone numbers and addresses. This is done by encrypting the data when it is entered into a form on a website. 128 Bit encryption is currently the standard in use; however 256 Bit encryption is also growing in demand as it is the strongest encryption available today.

If you're looking to secure multiple websites with one server certificate, SSLGenie Wildcard is the easy, affordable solution. SSLGenie Wildcard is an ideal solution if you need to secure multiple fully qualified domains that share the same base domain name and reside on the same physical server and share the same second level domain name.

For example, if you need to secure the following websites :

• www.yourdomain.com
• secure.yourdomain.com
• product.yourdomain.com
• info.yourdomain.com
• download.yourdomain.com
• anything.yourdomain.com

and all of these websites are hosted on the same server box, you can purchase and install one Wildcard certificate issued to *.yourdomain.com to secure all these sites. The number of sub domains that you can use the wildcard certificate to secure is unlimited, for example, the same certificate can be used every time you add a new sub domain to yourdomain.com. If you need to span the wildcard certificate across multiple physical servers, you may purchase additional licenses.

SSLGenie offers Wildcard option for both Flash SSLGenie (the domain validated entry level SSL Certificate) and for Premium SSLGenie (full business validated high assurance certificate). You can select any of the available options.

High Assurance Certificates are fully authenticated certificates that produce confidence and trust. They have a 4 step authentication and verification process that verifies the domain name and company legitimacy. A visitor is fully satisfied that his information or transaction is fully secured if a website has a HA Cert. These are used by e-commerce websites with high value transactions and where there is sharing of confidential data. Information such as the Domain ownership, Company name, Address, Expiry date of the Certificate and Details of the CA are included within the certificate.

SSLGenie's Premium Certificates are high assurance certificates for high risk high value transaction segment.

Flash SSLGenie Domain Validated certificates are the entry level certificates that provide medium level security. It is a one step verification and authentication process that verifies only the domain name. The domain is validated using an automated system They are used by websites which have a transfer of low value transactions and information which is not highly confidential.

The SSLGenie site seal allows your customers to identify and confirm that your web site is using a leading SSL certificate. The seal resides on your web pages, identifying your site as genuine, authentic and validated by an independent third- party. The various advantages of having the site seal on your website are :

• By clicking on the SSLGenie Trusted Site Seal visitors will get real-time confirmation of the validity of the certificate on the web server that they are connected to.
• The SSLGenie Site seal comes free with Premium SSLGenie.
• It is a secure image with a direct link to the certificate server for verification.
• Tells customers that they can trust their online transactions conducted with you.
• Available in 5 different designs. You can choose the one that matches with your website theme
• Can be displayed on multiple secure pages.
• Is simple to install.
• Contains a date stamp reflecting your customer's time zone, providing real-time assurance of the authenticity of your site.

SSLGenie protects the interests of the end users by providing the warranty option. If we were to mis-issue a certificate to a fraudulent site, and that fraudulent site has an SSL link with an end user and as a result of this the end user loses money. The end user had what they thought was a "trusted session". Since the end user trusts the credibility of SSLGenie before trusting the website, we take all measures to protect the end user. We have taken out insurance to pay out money to the end user. This insurance provides greater peace of mind for the merchant as well as the end user.

We provide validation that is far higher than some other SSL providers. Some CA's have very weak validation hence they decide to offer zero or low insurance! SSLGenie has excellent validation processes in place.

This Warranty is payable to your site visitors who rely on your SSLGenie certificate and who incur losses resulting directly from an online credit card transaction as a result of a mis-issued SSLGenie certificate.

Flash SSLGenie come with a warranty of $50. The high assurance certificates give you a choice of selecting the warranty amount as per your requirement. The warranty can go upto $100,000.

Free SSLGenie is a FULLY FUNCTIONAL test certificate valid for 30 days. If you need to test your server, or would like to test our support and issuance speed then Free SSLGenie is an ideal solution. You can get a free SSLGenie Certificate from http://www.sslgenie.com/pack.php