Domain Control Validation (DCV) must be completed before an SSL/TLS certificate can be issued. This proves to the issuing Certificate Authority (CA) that the individual applying for the SSL/TLS certificate has control over the domain they are securing. An email to a WHOIS registered email address is a common way of doing so. Approver email […]
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Understanding SAN certificates
A SAN certificate is an SSL/TLS certificate which hosts multiple domains and subdomains on the single certificate. It is often called a Multi Domain certificate. They are used for a number of reasons; from server limitations to sheer convenience. What is a SAN? To better understand what a SAN SSL/TLS certificate is, we will need […]
Understanding Wildcard SSL Certificates
Understanding a domain & subdomain To better understand what a Wildcard SSL certificate is, we will need to understand the difference between a domain & subdomain. A domain is a website address. An example is “trustico.com”; this will point you to Trustico’s website without needing to type in its IP address. To create a website, […]
What is a Top-Level Domain (TLD)? TLD’s Explained
The Top-level domain (TLD) refers to the last segment of a Fully Qualified Domain Name, or the part that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol. The TLD specifies the domain at the highest level in the tree hierarchy of the Domain Name System and is required for a domain name to be “Fully Qualified”. You […]
What Is Malware? Virus, Trojan, Ransomware. Whats The Difference?
Malware Malware, short for malicious software, is any software used to disrupt computer systems, gather sensitive data, gain access to private computer systems, or display unwanted advertising. In the late 90’s and early 2000’s the term computer virus was more commonly used however as of late the term Malware has been coined as a broad […]
What Is An Intermediate Certificate?
An intermediate certificate is a subordinate certificate issued by the trusted root certificate authority and provided to certificate providers to give them the authority to issue end-entity (SSL) server certificates. The result is a certificate chain that begins at the trusted root CA, through the intermediate and ending with the SSL certificate issued to you. Such […]
What Is A Certificate Signing Request (CSR)
A CSR or ‘Certificate Signing Request’ is a block of encrypted text sent from an applicant to the certificate authority in order to apply for and generate an SSL certificate or digital signing certificate. It is most commonly generated in a PKCS #10 format. To generate an SSL certificate, a CSR is required. A CSR […]
Approver Email Explained
An approver email is the way a certificate authority can determine whether the customer has full control of or permission to use a domain name. It is required to be completed in order to issue a domain validated certificate. An approver email is always used for domain validation. It is occasionally used in the validation […]
What is a SAN? Sub Domain & Multi Domain Certificates Explained
A ‘Subject Alternative Name’ Certificate or better known as a SAN is a variation of SSL Certification that allows for more than just the one Fully Qualified Domain Name to be secured within the one certificate. Make no mistake, this is not a Wildcard Certificate. There are vast differences between the two. Before reading on […]
Internet Protocol – IP Address Explained
Internet Protocol. An IP or ‘Internet Protocol’ is the way in which data is sent from one device to another over the internet. The Internet Protocol is responsible for addressing hosts and for routing datagrams (packets) from a source host to a destination host across one or more IP networks. Within the task of delivering […]