Tips to Secure Online Connections and Protect Sensitive Data with the Right SSL Certificate for Your Business

If you have any part of your business online or are planning to take it online, choosing the right SSL certificate for your business is critical. SSL certificates, by encrypting all data in transit, enable businesses to protect their users from a range of attacks such as eavesdropping, man-in-middle, phishing attacks, data theft, etc.

SSL certificates help businesses in sensitive data protection. The visible signs of data encryption in the form of the HTTPS in the URL, padlock, etc. go a long way in gaining the trust of website visitors and helps in stemming bounce rates. They affect the search engine rankings of websites too. Not all SSL certificates are the same. So, simply choosing any SSL certificate based only on its pricing could be detrimental to website security.

In this article, we give you tips to improve website security using SSL certificates and how to choose the right SSL certificate for your business.

Here Are Some Tips to Secure Your Website with SSL certificates

Always-on SSL security is critical

Few organizations continue to migrate only those pages to HTTPS that collect information and not the entire website. This will cause the browser to mark those pages as ‘Not Secure’. Not just that, you will be putting website visitors at risk by having their browser jump between secure and insecure connections. The best way to protect sensitive information and minimize security risks is to have the entire website configured for HTTPS and ensure always-on SSL security. Choosing the right SSL certificate is critical even if your organization has a simple, view-only website.

Avoid private key duplication

Private keys are like debit/ credit card CVV numbers and are critical to sensitive data protection. By duplicating private keys or sharing them across multiple servers, businesses increase the security risks attached to their websites.

If one of the servers is compromised, all servers secured with the same private key are automatically endangered. If private keys fall in the hands of cybercriminals, they could orchestrate a range of attacks. It is also best to avoid multi-server certs and Wildcard SSL which have similar security risks as private key duplication.

Monitor SSL certificates to ensure they do not expire

SSL certificates are not a one-and-done security affair. They expire and need to be renewed on time to continue to secure the website. Certificates may be revoked or invalidated. With a robust certificate management system like Entrust from Indusface, you can monitor and manage SSL certificates through their server lifecycle including renewal, revocation, re-issue, and reporting.

Continuously check versions and algorithms

Badly configured servers, supporting older SSL/ TLS versions, using cryptographic algorithms with known vulnerabilities, etc. erode SSL security. Through regular review of server settings and scanning of SSL certificates, businesses can ensure that SSL certs are properly installed, and recommended protocols, versions, and algorithms are used, especially on internet-facing services. Entrust from Indusface offers TLS server tests and crypto agility scans to assess server configurations, report low scores, and alert teams of policy/ best practice violations.

Test SSL certificates

You must test your SSL certs to ensure that it is properly installed. Testing helps you to view browser warnings and proactively rectify them to ensure better protection.

Augment SSL certificates with robust, multi-layered website security

Even though SSL certificates equip businesses with authentication and encryption capabilities, they do not guarantee complete website security. While choosing an SSL certificate for your business, choose one that is augmented with a robust website security bundle including daily web vulnerability scans, malware scanning, and remediation, reputation monitoring, etc.

The Right SSL Certificate for Your Business: How to Choose?

• Choose the right level of validation: While Extended Validation offers the highest level of security and is a must for e-commerce websites and websites of larger organizations, it can be an expensive option for smaller businesses. A minimum of Organizational Validation is a must for other businesses; Domain validation is not recommended.
• Number of domains you want to secure: If you have multiple domains and sub-domains to secure, it is best to choose multi-domain SSL. Though Wildcard SSL protects multiple sub-domains, it is not advisable since they offer a lower level of control and ownership and expose website visitors to security risks.
• Choose a trusted Certificate Authority (CA): Given that rogue certificates are on the rise, browsers trust SSL only from CAs who follow validation guidelines. Choose a CA who is trustworthy and is equipped with a solid infrastructure to avoid failures. In addition, check for the breach history of SSL providers before choosing them to ensure that they have a clean record of zero breaches like Entrust SSL Certificates.
• Assess website security bundle, customer support, and warranty offered before making the choice.

Conclusion

SSL certificates for businesses used to be optional; but not today. Choose the right SSL certificate and ensure the effective protection of sensitive data and reduction of security risks that website visitors are exposed to.

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