At first, determining whether or not you need a SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate might seem like a daunting task. What do they do? Do I really need one, and if I do, why? When do I attach it to my site? Don’t worry — just about every small business owner launching a website for the first time asks the same questions.
The whole concept of SSL might seem like a mystery, but it’s actually fairly clear-cut. Here’s the lowdown:
What is SSL?
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a security mechanism that works between a user’s Web browser (like Firefox® and Google Chrome™) and the website the user is connecting to. The website’s software includes a SSL certificate issued by a trustworthy authority. When confidential info needs to be exchanged, SSL is used to encrypt the information before it is sent, and then to decrypt it at the other end, when it has been received. (more…)