7 Misconceptions About SSL Certificate

SSL certificate is essential security for websites and blogs. Still, many internet users have different perceptions about SSL (HTTPS). They have some myths that keep them away from using such wonderful web security protocols. We will go through such myths with their facts in this article, but before digging deeper, let us start from SSL basics.

Briefly, an SSL certificate is a protocol that binds the transmitting information between the server and the website with strong encryption to avoid outside attackers from reading the ongoing data. Different SSL Certificates are available in the market, according to business requirements so; a website owner has a wide range of choices to select from the bunch. With the invention of SSL, there are many myths prevailing in internet user’s mindset like :

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• SSL offers slow web page loading time
• Only login page requires SSL
• SSL is a costly
• Each SSL site needs individual IP
• SSL and SEO have no relation
• SSL is difficult to manage
• SSL prevents hackers

The above myths are just insignificant and the discussion below will help you to know real facts about SSL certificate against myths.

1. SSL Certificate slows Page Load Time

The website speed is a crucial factor considered by many users. However, SSL encrypts the data so it gets slight overhead compared to HTTP but it is negligible.

SSL certificate has to communicate with OCSP and CRL for certificate verification, which needs an extra 100-millisecond time to load the website. It needs extra bytes to be sent and received, so the size of the packet increases.

The amount of CPU resource is required to encrypt the session, but it can be reduced by compressing the text string. Modern browsers and CPUs have realized this issue and tried to mitigate it. Once the HTTPS connection is established, it will work smoothly and rapidly as other websites.

2. SSL Cert is only for Login Page

Many e-commerce or payment related sites believe that SSL is only for the login page where customers enter confidential or financial information. Actually, it is a myth because hackers always search for an unencrypted or vulnerable spot on a website or server. The rest-unencrypted pages can be defaced by hackers and could be used to make them a victim. Attackers can inject malicious code in the unsecured web page and hijack the session to steal the stored information especially using unprotected Wi-Fi.

To avoid this blow, always prefer Always-On SSL that will encrypt the entire website, including images, video, or any script files. If your site is not fully running on HTTPS, then visitors will face a warning about the mixed content error, which tells users that some of the content of this site is not protected.

3. SSL Cert is a costly deal

The days are gone when SSL was a costly deal. Now, many SSL providers are in the market and strive to provide high-quality SSL certificates at the lowest price. Even if the website is a startup, the owner can take advantage of a Free SSL certificate (for up to 90 days) that will give an experience of SSL and related stuff like renewal, expiry, and validation. If the website owner does not wish to go free SSL, then he/she can easily get an SSL certificate under $5/yr.

4. SSL Certificate needs individual IP Address

SSL certificate needs an individual IP address that is an outdated thought. In the past, a single certificate was used to secure a single fixed URL on a unique IP address; therefore, a website owner had to take another certificate for the other subdomain to a different IP address. In recent times, with the help of SNI (server name indication) the website owner can host multiple SSL certificates on a single IP address. Even there are SAN (Subject Alternate Name) and wildcard certificates that can secure multiple domain and subdomain respectively, you only require a single IP address. You can secure up to 100 domain names on a single IP address with a single SAN certificate. You can add or edit domain names any time during the certificate lifespan.

5. SSL is not beneficial to SEO

Many experts and organizations had a concern about the correlation of SSL certificate and SEO; they believed that SSL would degrade the SEO ranking but Google got rid of this concern by announcing that SSL will be considered as a signal booster. In current times, the move seems lightweight but it will get much appreciation in the near future to make the whole internet safe and secure. The aim of this announcement is to provide a secure platform for customers and visitors over the web. If we overall observe, then SSL is the best security that not only protects the website but also ensures customers about website authenticity.

6. SSL Certificate seems difficult to manage

It is a false perception that once you purchased an SSL certificate, it is quite difficult to manage. In fact, an SSL certificate is an online and automated process where an applicant has to follow three to four steps to get an SSL certificate in an email. It involves the selection of products, CSR generation, and payment. Even SSL providers currently provide online support like live chat, email support if the applicant finds any difficulty with SSL purchase or installation. SSL CAs provide centralized certificate management from which the user can request for certificate renewal, cancellation, and re-issuance.

7. SSL stops attackers

Many people believe that if your site has SSL then attackers will not attack or exploit weak or unsecured script. The fact is SSL only secures the information transmitting between the server and the web browser. SSL is like a tunnel in which the information is exchanged. For example, if the password is unencrypted in the MySQL database and attackers compromised the database, then there is no fault of the SSL certificate. There are many tools available for software testing; website vulnerability scanner, penetration testing that will alert you about any suspicious actions happening on the server or website that will stop attackers on website or server.

Conclusion:

After considering the facts behind the above SSL myths, I hope that your misconception about SSL is now cleared. It is time to go with this powerful protocol to protect your virtual resources and offer a reliable and safe user experience to your visitors and customers. Just browse discounted SSL Certificate offers and get the best web security solution right now.