SSL certification: how to secure your website
Protecting your website from cyberattacks is crucial for your business and data.
Businesses almost always improve after developing a website that is safe against cyberattacks. Even if the website owner is safe from being hacked, unsafe web pages can cause serious problems for unlucky visitors or turn away savvy shoppers who avoid signs that they are at online risk.
The dangers of an insecure website
Regardless of a website’s purpose, no one wants their domain to be a place where visitors get viruses and other computer ailments. An insecure website is also undesirable because it scares away potential customers who worry about their security.
The biggest risks with visiting unsafe websites are personal devices getting infected with malware — such as computer viruses — or sensitive information, like login credentials and financial records, getting stolen by a malicious third party. Secure websites are also harder for criminals to build fake copies of (a type of scam known as phishing).
There are several signs that consumers may look for when determining if a website is safe or not. For example, websites with a privacy policy should use clear language on how user data is protected and let users opt out of data collection. Pop-up advertisements, a lack of contact information about the site’s owners, and critical reviews left by site users can also drive away traffic.
Getting SSL certification
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certification is the best to secure a website. SSL-secured websites have “https,” with a little padlock icon next to it, at the start of their hyperlinks, which communicate to visitors that they can safely enter personal data, such as financial information, on the site.
Website owners can get SSL certification in various ways. Different types of certification are available depending on the owners’ exact needs. According to CIRA, a company that manages the “.ca” domain space used for many Canadian websites, there are three ways to validate SSL certification.
Domain Validation is the first type of SSL certification. It confirms that the owner of a domain was in control of their website at the time they were given SSL certification. Secondly, Organization Validation approves of one’s website but also states that the organization exists in the public registrar. Finally, there is the Extended Validation Certificate (EV). EV assures users that a legal entity oversees the services they use on a given website. CIRA recommends that e-commerce or data processing websites get an EV certificate, while personal websites are fine with simply being Domain Validated. However, the organization also states that each level of validation is equally secure, and only changes how much trust a secure website displays.
For people unable to afford SSL certification, some organizations issue it for free, such as letsencrypt.org. In addition, most website builders should issue SSL certification, though third-party companies also offer this service. Regardless of who is issuing it, there are a few things website owners should keep in mind when applying for SSL certification.
Eligible websites must have a Whois record, an Internet listing that gives technical information about websites based on their HTML address. Whois records can be found with this Whois Lookup tool, using websites’ full HTML addresses (usually the organization’s name followed by something like .org or .com). Someone looking for SSL certification also needs to know the IP address of their website, which can be found using tools like IPVoid by similarly entering the domain name/HTML address and then looking at the number that pops up.
CyberSecure Canada is also a certification program run by the federal government that is designed to help small and medium-sized businesses. Unfortunately, this service has been criticized for giving out very few certifications over the years, meaning it may not be a viable option for many.
SSL certification sounds complicated, but it’s vital for protecting your website. Making sure your website is secure is a continual process. While cyberattacks can still happen no matter how careful you are, these steps can help keep you and the people visiting your website safe.
