It’s likely that you’re aware of the fact that a URL beginning with “https” indicates a website is protected by an SSL certificate, meaning that any communication between your computer and the website is done so in a secure manner. However, the inner workings of this process and its significant importance may not be common knowledge.
How Does SSL Work?
SSL utilizes a cryptographic method called PKI, or Public Key Infrastructure, to establish a secure tunnel for transmitting data between parties. Each party has a pair of digital security certificates, consisting of a public key that can be viewed by anyone and a private key that only the owner knows. Despite appearing as a scrambled mess of characters, these keys serve an essential purpose. The pairs of keys are mathematically linked so that anything encrypted with the private key can only be decrypted with the corresponding public key, and vice versa.
Encrypting with PKI involves running data through a mathematical algorithm, rendering it unintelligible. Even if someone has the key used to encrypt something, they still require the second key to decrypt it. PKI incorporates the key content into the encryption algorithm, producing output that only the second key can “reverse.” Greater encryption complexity and larger keys improve security.
PKI offers authentication and privacy to both parties in an exchange. Here’s an example:
Becca needs to send her bank account number to Joe. First, Becca encrypts her bank account number with her private key to ensure that only her public key can decrypt it, proving to Joe that Becca is the sender. Then she encrypts it again with Joe’s public key so only Joe’s private key can decrypt it. Joe decrypts the data using their respective keys in reverse order.
SSL uses this concept to authenticate and secure the initial interaction between two computers before using a shared session key, which is faster than PKI. Without PKI, there is no way to ensure data integrity or confirm identities in the exchange.
Why Does SSL Work?
The efficacy of SSL as a secure communication mechanism heavily relies on the authenticity of the certificates involved. It is possible for anyone to forge a certificate claiming to be from institutions like Amazon or Bank of America, posing significant risk to users. However, credible Certificate Authorities (CAs) such as DigiCert, Thawte, and VeriSign are responsible for issuing and maintaining genuine certificates.
These trusted entities are globally renowned for their reliability in the storage of digital certificates and public keys. Any SSL certificate that has been legitimately issued can always be traced back to its corresponding CA. Absent trusted CAs, authentication would be of no significance and the entire system would deteriorate.
Why Use SSL?
Now that we have a general understanding of how SSL certificates function, the vital question remains: do you need one? The answer is unequivocally “yes”. Here are the main advantages of SSL implementation for your website:
- Protection: SSL certificates safeguard you and your website visitors against man-in-the-middle attacks. This sort of attack happens when a hacker penetrates the data exchange between your visitors and your site, enabling them to impersonate your site and steal the data before it reaches you.
- Compliance: If you expect to receive payment details, especially credit card data, from your visitors, SSL is a fundamental obligation of payment processors to remain PCI compliant.
- Reputation: Based on the browser that they are using, your website visitors are probably going to encounter a large, prominent warning regarding the security deficiency on your website without an SSL certificate. This does not create a good initial impression. Also, there’s something about seeing that reassuring little lock symbol in the URL bar that generates a feeling of safety and trust.
Not yet convinced? There are numerous benefits to obtaining an SSL certificate, even if you are not concerned about hackers or credit card purchases on your website.
- Performance: For starters, websites that are secured via SSL certificates tend to load faster than those without them, and this will only become more apparent in the future.
- Visibility: Additionally, sites with SSL appear higher in Google search results than unsecured sites, as insecure sites are generally deprioritized and pushed to page three or worse.
- Relevance: Furthermore, modern web and HTTP standards are centered around creating a more secure internet, meaning that an unsecured website may one day become obsolete.
- Reputation: And let’s not forget that being the only unsecured website in your community may not do wonders for your reputation.
SSL certificates are such an important part of online security that the pros of using a certificate far outweigh the cons of not having one. That’s one reason why all our website hosting packages at D Media include SSL for https:// as a must-have line-item.
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