The trustworthiness of a website is measured by the validity and integrity of the site’s SSL certificate. All organisations with a website should be aware that a lack of validation on their SSL certificate can have disastrous consequences on their customer base, as it allows for anyone to intercept communications with their site. This is why it’s so important for any organisation to have an SSL certificate that is validated, as it provides the perfect protection against someone who would want to access confidential information from your company.
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates are the “proof” of a website’s identity. Certificates add security to an organisation’s web server by encrypting data transmitted between the browser and the web server. The three types of SSL certificates are: Domain-validated SSL certificate, Organisation-validated SSL certificate, Extended validation SSL certificate.
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Domain Validated
Domain validated SSL certificates are the most common type of certificate and is the least-stringent level of validation. To obtain one of these SSL certificates, an organization only has to prove they control the domain. This is done by checking that you own or control the DNS records for the domain you want to secure. This type of certificate provides the use of the https symbol and encrypts connection data.
Organisation Validated
An organisation validated SSL certificate is a type of standard SSL certificate that offers the same protection and validity as a domain validated SSL certificate with the added promise that it has been verified by external auditors and involves a manual vetting process. This validation allows customers to know that they are dealing with a reliable organization and increases the trust of customers. Organization Validation SSL certificates will contain the organization’s name and address, making them more trustworthy for users than Domain Validation certificates.
Extended Validation
Extended validation (EV) SSL certificates are the most trusted form of digital certificate available today. As its name suggests, EV SSLs require more steps to obtain than standard SSLs, including an extra background check by an approved Certificate Authority (CA). This means that EV certificates are typically more expensive than standard certificates, but they’re worth it because they offer the assurance that your customers will trust your site connections.
