SSL Certificate Frequently Asked Questions
Here we have listed a number of common questions people ask us about our HostBreak SSL Certificate services. Hopefully, this FAQ section will answer your questions. If you don't find the answer to your question below, please Contact us.What is a SSL Certificate?
A SSL Certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a Web site to visiting browsers and encrypts information for the server via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. Encryption is the process of scrambling data into an undecipherable format — ciphertext — that can only be returned to a readable format with the proper decryption key.
A certificate serves as an electronic "passport" that establishes an online entity’s credentials when doing business on the Web. When an Internet user attempts to send confidential information to a Web server, the user’s browser will access the server’s digital certificate and establish a secure connection.
A SSL Certificate contains the following information:
* The certificate holder’s name
* The certificate’s serial number and expiration date
* A copy of the certificate holder’s public key
* The digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority
What is SSL?
SSL is the de facto standard for creating a secure, encrypted link between a Web server and a browser, thus securing safe passage of sensitive information, such as credit card numbers. E-commerce Web sites use SSL as a means to protect online transactions with their customers. Once a secure connection is established, SSL encrypts information sent from your browser to the Web server.
How will my customers know that my site is secure?
A "https://" prefix in the URL and a key or padlock icon in the browser's status bar indicate that a Web site is secure.
A SSL-encrypted session is generally commenced once a visitor signs in to a secure area of a Web site, such as the checkout or account-management area of an online store.
What happens when my certificate expires?
If you allow a certificate to expire, the certificate will be invalid and you will no longer be able to secure transactions on your Web site. The Certification Authority will prompt you to renew your SSL certificate in due time. You can renew a certificate for one or two years. Please note that a certificate can be renewed up to 60 days prior to and 30 days following the expiration date only.
How do I generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)?
Please note that if you are applying for a SSL Certificate for a domain that is hosted with us, then we will generate and submit the CSR for you.
In order to purchase a, SSL certificate, one must first generate and submit a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) to a Certification Authority (CA). The CSR is generated with your Web server software, which will also create your public/private key pair used for encrypting and decrypting secure transactions.
Why is my SSL Certificate request not approved yet?
As long as you provide the correct company information and documentation, the Certification Authority should be able to authenticate the information and issue the requested certificate within 2-5 business days. However, if the submitted information is incorrect or incomplete, the authentication process may be delayed. — In some cases, the certificate request may be denied.
Listed below are some of the common reasons for delay or rejection of certificate issuance:
Problem: Requesting entity is not the legal registrant of the domain in the request.
Solution: Requestor must be able to prove domain registration ownership. If requestor is not the legal registrant of the domain, certificate request will be denied.
Problem: Organization name in request does not match information obtained from Whois database.
Solution: If Whois query fails to verify that the requesting entity is the legal registrant of the domain in the request, the requestor may instead request a Domain Authorization Letter from his/her registrar and subsequently submit the letter to the Certification Authority as proof of domain control and domain registration ownership.
Problem: Requesting entity is not using a legally registered business or organization name (corporate authentication process).
Solution: Select the principal (i.e., individual) authorization option. When generating your Certificate Signing Request (CSR), please enter the principal (i.e., individual) name in the "Organization" field, and — optionally — the DBA (doing business as) name in the "Organizational Unit" ("OU") field. The name in the "O" field must be the name of the legal registrant of the domain in the request.
Problem: The Certification Authority is unable to verify the identity of the individual requestor (principal authentication process).
Solution: If the Certification Authority is unable to verify the requesting individual's entity, the certificate request will be denied.
Problem: A business phone number cannot be found through a third party source.
Solution: If the Certification Authority is unable to obtain a trusted third party telephone number for your business, the certificate request will be denied.
Problem: Incorrect information contained in the Certificate Signing Request.
Solution: Use your server software to generate a new CSR, based on corrected information.
Problem: The administrative/registrant/technical contact for the domain fails to approve the certificate request when prompted to do so.
Solution: If the request is not approved by the administrative/registrant/technical contact, it will be denied.
How do I set up my SSL Certificate?
Before you can start performing secure transactions from your Web site, you must submit a certificate request to our Certification Authority partner, which will authenticate your/your business' identity and domain registration ownership before issuing a signed certificate.
To begin the certificate request procedure: Visit the SSL Order Page. If all necessary data is properly submitted, the CA is usually able to complete the authentication process and issue a signed certificate within 2-5 hours of the request.
Once you are issued certificate, send it to your web host for installation.
What is Domain Control Validation?
Before issuing an SSL Certificate, the Certificate Authority (CA) must authenticate that the entity that requested the certificate is authorized to use the domain for which the certificate is being requested. The CA can only issue a Web Server Certificate to an organization or individual that can demonstrate control of the domain name in the request by responding to an email message sent to a domain administrator or by supplying documentation that verifies control of the domain.
Please note that a registered domain is required in order to request a certificate.
How does the CA Verify Domain Registrant Information?
When performing the verification process, the CA verifies that the entity or individual requesting the certificate controls the domain in the request by sending an e-mail message to the domain's authorization contact — i.e., administrative or registrant contact — prompting the recipient to approve the certificate request. If contact information is not provided by Whois or does not match, the customer may instead request a Domain Authorization Letter from his/her Registrar and subsequently submit the letter to the CA. If the administrative/registrant contact fails to approve the certificate request, the request is denied.
This authentication process ensures that only the individual who has control of the domain in the request can obtain a certificate for that domain. No individual or entity can obtain a certificate for a domain whose registration it does not control.
What is a Wildcard Secure SSL Certificate?
A Wildcard SSL Certificate secures your site and all of your sub-domains. The Wildcard SSL Certificate works the same as a regular SSL Certificate and undergoes the same validation processes and is available as both a Turbo certificate or High-Assurance certificate. The difference is, the Wildcard SSL Certificate extends to all of the sub-domains of your domain.
A Wildcard Secure Certificate:
* Secures unlimited sub-domains that share the same base domain and server, like www.domainname.com; shop.domainname.com; register.domainname.com, etc.
* Verifies that you met the thorough approval it takes to be issued the certificate.
* Proves that transactions with your site (like information exchange, or purchases) are secure and 128-bit encrypted with industry-standard SSL (secure sockets layer) technology.
* Most importantly, it tells customers that they can do business with you safely because their sensitive information is encrypted and remains private.
