A Beginner's Guide to SSL: What It is & Why It Makes Your Website More Secure

你有没有注意到一些url开始withhttp://, while others start withhttps://?

Maybe you noticed that extra "s" when you were browsing websites that require giving over sensitive information, like when you were paying bills online.

But where'd that extra "s" come from, and what does it mean?

To put it simply, the extra "s" means your connection to that website is secure and encrypted; any data you enter is safely shared with that website. The technology that powers that little "s" is called SSL, which stands for “Secure Sockets Layer.”

作为消费者，您总是想看到https://when visiting any site you trust with your essential information. As a marketer, you'll want to make sure you have an SSL or two for your audience.

让我们谈谈为什么SSL很重要。

When you land on a page with a form to fill in and submit, the information you enter can be intercepted by a hacker on an unsecure website.

This information could be anything from details on a bank transaction to an email enter to register for an offer. In hacker lingo, this "interception" is often referred to as a "man-in-the-middle attack."

想知道攻击是如何发生的？这是最常见的方法之一：黑客在托管网站的服务器上放置了一个未被发现的侦听程序。该程序在后台等待，直到访问者开始在网站上键入信息为止，它将激活以开始捕获信息，然后将其发送回黑客。

A little scary, right?

But when you visit a website that's encrypted with SSL, your browser will form a connection with the web server, look at the SSL certificate, then bind your browser and the server. This binding connection is secure to ensure no one besides you and the website can see or access what you type.

This connection happens instantly, and in fact, some suggest it's faster than connecting to an unsecure website. You simply have to visit a website with SSL, andvoila— your connection will automatically be secured.

SSL是安全技术。这是用于服务器和Web浏览器的协议，可确保两者之间传递的数据是私有的。这是使用连接服务器和浏览器的加密链接完成的。

从用户请求个人信息的公司，例如电子邮件地址或付款信息，应在其网站上拥有SSL证书。拥有一个意味着您收集的细节是私人的，并确保客户看到挂锁和https://, their privacy is safe.

SSL证书按验证和加密级别进行分类或者the number of domains or subdomains under the certificate.

根据获得的SSL，您可以赚取三种类型的证书。让我们更详细地谈论它们。

Types Of Certificates

The umbrellas that SSL certificates fall under are encryption and validation, and domain number. They each have three classifications, and can be applied for on theSSL website。Certificates are processed by a Certificate Authority (CA), which is software designed specifically for running and granting these certificates.

For encryption and validation certificates, there are domain, organization, and extended validation. For certificates defined by the domain number, the types are single, multidomain, and wildcard.

Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificate

该证书显示了地址栏中的挂锁，HTTP，业务名称和商业国家，以减少被垃圾邮件网站误认为。

Extended Validation (SV) SSL are the most expensive SSLs to obtain, but they are valuable in showing the legitimacy of your domain from the address bar. To set up an EV SSL, you must prove that you are authorized to own the domain you're submitting. This ensures users that you are legally collecting the data needed to execute certain actions — such as a credit card number for an online transaction.

An EV SSL certificate can be obtained by any business, and it should be a priority especially for those that need identity assurance. For instance, if your website processes web payments or collects data, you’d want to get this certificate.

Organization Validated (OV SSL) Certificate

This certificate verifies that your organization and domain validation are real. Organization Validated (OV) SSL certificates offer a medium level of encryption and are obtained in two steps. First, the CA would verify who owns the domain and if the organization is operating legally.

On the browser, users would see a small green padlock with the company's name following. Use this type of certificate if you don't have the financial resources for an EV SSL but still want to offer a moderate level of encryption.

Domain Validation (DV) Certificate

The Domain Validation (DV) certificate offers a low level of encryption shown as a green padlock next to the URL in the address bar. This is the quickest validation you can receive, and you'll only need a few company documents to apply.

当您将DNS添加到CA时，就会发生这种验证。对于此证书，CA将审查申请人拥有要提交的域的权利。（注意：DVS不能保护子域，而只是域本身）。

与EV SSL不同，CA不会审查任何身份数据，因此您不会知道谁在收到您的加密信息。但是，如果您是一家负担不起高级SSL的业务的一部分，DV可以完成工作。

Wildcard SSL Certificates

通配符SSL证书在“域和子域号”类别中。通配符SSLS确保如果您购买一个域证书，则可以使用该子域的同一证书。

For example, if you bought a Wildcard for example.com, it could be applied to mail.example.com and blog.example.com. An option like this is cheaper than obtaining multiple SSL certificates for a number or domain.

Unified Communications (UCC) SSL Certificate

统一通信证书（UCC）也称为多域SSL证书，允许多个域名在同一证书上。创建UCC是为了桥接单个服务器和浏览器之间的通信，但此后已扩展到同一所有者包含多个域名。

A UCC in the address bar shows a padlock to display verification. They can also be considered an EV SSL if they are configured to show that green text, padlock, and home country. The only difference is the number of domain names associated with this certificate.

Multi-domain SSL certificates cover up to 100 domain names. If you need to alter the names in any way, you can do that with the Subject Alternative Name (SAN) option. Some examples of Multi-domain names you can use are: www.domain.co.uk, www.domain.com, mail.example.com, and checkout.example.com.

单域SSL证书

A Single Domain SSL protects one domain. The thing to remember about this certificate is that you can't use it to protect subdomains or a completely different domain.

例如,如果你购买这个证书example.com, you can't use it for blog.example.com or 2ndexample.com.

How can I get an SSL certificate for my website?

The first step is to determine what type of certificate you need. For example, if hosting content on multiple platforms (on separate domains/subdomains) it may mean that you need different SSL certificates.

For most, a standard SSL certificate will cover your content. But for companies in a regulated industry — such as finance or insurance — it may be worth talking with your I.T. team to ensure you’re meeting the specific SSL certificate requirements set within your industry.

The costs of SSL certificates vary, but you can get a free certificate or pay per month to obtain a custom certificate. On the free side —Let's Encryptoffers certificates at no cost, but I would strongly recommend that you have someone knowledgeable about the DNS and technical setup of your website to help. These certificates will also expire every 90 days, so make sure they stay up to date.

One of the other key considerations is the validity period of a certification. Most standard SSL certificates that you purchase are available for one to two years by default, but if you're looking for longer-term options, consider more advanced certificates that offer longer time periods.

Is SSL good for SEO?

Yes. While the primary purpose of SSL is securing information between the visitor and your website, there are benefits for SEO as well.According to Google Webmaster Trends Analysts, SSL is part of Google's search ranking algorithm.

此外，假设所提供的内容中两个网站相似，但是一个网站启用了SSL，另一个网站却没有。该第一个网站可能会略有提升，因为它已加密。结果，在您的网站和您的页面上启用SSL有明显的SEO好处。

我该如何判断我的网站是否具有SSL？

当您访问带有SSL的网站时，浏览器中会显示一些明显的差异。单击此处获取免费的SSL检查器工具。

1. URL说“ https：//”，而不是“ http：//”。

The URL should look something like the screenshot below. Remember, an SSL-encrypted website will always have that "s" that stands for "secure." Additionally, that text can show up green and follows a green padlock (another indicator, explained below).

2. You'll see a padlock icon in the URL bar.

挂锁将显示在URL栏的左侧或右侧，具体取决于您的浏览器。例如，在Chrome和Safari上，它将在左边。您可以单击挂锁以阅读有关网站和提供证书的公司的更多信息。bob全站app

3. The certificate is valid.

Even if a website has thehttps://挂锁，证书仍然可以过期 - 这意味着您的连接将不安全。在大多数情况下，显示为显示为httpswill be secure but, if you encounter a site that asks for a lot of personal information, it may be worth double-checking to be sure the certificate is valid.

要找出证书在chrome中是否有效，请转到View>Developer>开发者工具。从那里您需要导航到Securitytab to see if the SSL certificate is valid or expired. If you click theView certificatebutton, you will be able to see more information about the SSL certificate and the specific date it's valid through.

下次您访问网站时，请检查其加密状态。我喜欢知道，通过单击一点挂锁，我可以看到我的数据是否安全。另一方面，如果您是没有SSL证书的企业的一部分，请将其作为下一个目标集的一部分，以便您可以保护客户的数据和隐私。

Editor's note: This post was originally published in June 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.