What Is SSL Certificate?
While browsing the Internet, you may have encountered the term "SSL certificate" and wondered about its significance. SSL certificates are used by secure websites and help protect the information transmitted to a secure website by showing that the identity of that website was verified by a trusted authority.
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Purpose
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Nearly every website that requires users to log in or enter private financial information---such as banking, commerce, and email websites---is secure, meaning that the information transmitted to and from that website is encrypted. In order to display a secure website, web browsers require the site to present an SSL certificate verifying its identity. If there is no certificate, or the information on it is incorrect, the browser will display an error message recommending to the user that he not use the website.
Identification
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When a website with a valid SSL certificate is loaded, a padlock icon will be seen either in the address bar or in the lower-right corner of the Web browser window. Double-clicking the padlock icon will display the certificate, which will show the authority that issued it, whom it was issued to, the level of encryption and when the certificate expires.
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Limitations
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An SSL certificate, by itself, does not guarantee that your interactions with a website are safe. They do not guarantee that a website has not been hacked and cannot offer protection if the user's computer is infected with a virus that monitors keystrokes. Additionally, an SSL certificate cannot guarantee that the business itself is legitimate.
Problems
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If an error message is seen when attempting to browse to a secure website, it can mean that the certificate is not signed by a trusted authority, that the certificate has expired or that the name on the certificate does not match the name on the site. In any of these instances, it is important to exercise caution when proceeding to the site. When one of these error messages is displayed by the browser, there will be a link allowing more information to be displayed about the error. This information should be read before continuing.
Providers
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There are several companies that operate as authorities providing SSL certificates, many of whom have their certificates preloaded into Web browsers as trusted authorities. Some of these companies include Go Daddy, VeriSign, Thawte and Entrust. When a secure site has a valid SSL certificate that is issued by a company marked as "trusted" by the Web browser, no confirmation is needed from the user in order for the site to be loaded.
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