SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a method of ensuring that information submitted through your Web site is secure and cannot be accessed by unauthorized users. It enables the encryption and decryption of data between a Web site visitor's browser and the Web site's server so that sensitive information can be safely transmitted. The primary components that enable the encryption and decryption are the key certificates and the HTTPS protocol.
An SSL certificate, or a digital certificate, is an electronic document that contains the information necessary to establish a secure SSL connection. When used in credit card transactions, the Web site collecting the credit card information and the site to which the information is being transmitted must both have an SSL certificate.
Shared SSL Certificates - Free
A shared SSL certificate is included with all website hosting plans. While a shared SSL certificate does provide for secure online transactions, it is not issued in your company's name; when visitors to your site choose to view the certificate, they will see our company name on the certificate.
Customized SSL Certificates
You can, however, order your own SSL certificate. When you have your own SSL certificate, visitors who double-click the secure icon in their browser window will see information about your company.
Secure Server
Whether you have your own SSL certificate or you are using a shared SSL certificate, you will use the secure server instead of your regular Web server for all of your SSL-secured transactions.
Surfing Securely
How do you know if a Web page is secure? You should notice that:
- the URL address on the browser should begin with "HTTPS" (note the "S")
- there should be a lock symbol/icon
on the browser (varies with the browser). When a site offers an SSL-secured form, the information submitted via that form (typically credit card information) is encrypted using a special "certificate key" and then decrypted with another key after it has been transmitted.
Shared Secure Server
While the HTTPS protocol is supported by every major browser, our contribution to providing you a safe, secure Web experience is the availability of a shared secure server certificate for free. To secure a Web page, you need to know only:
- the name of your shared secure server (certificate) name;
- the proper secure URL usage.
To find the URL of your shared secure server name:
1. Log into BizControl with your username and password (click here for instructions).
2. Click on Web Hosting on the Home page.
3. Scroll down, find, and click the SSL link. You can also click SSL in the left navigation panel.
4. Select the proper domain name from the Currently Managing drop-down menu.
5. Under the Currently Managing drop-down list, your shared server name appears, usually in the form of idXXXXXX.securedata.net (XXXXXX will be replaced with your Shared SSL server ID numbers).
Note: For Windows Hosting plans the shared SSL server format will be:
sslwshXXX.securedata.net (XXX will be replaced with the shared server ID number).
When using the server name in your HTML code, please be sure to preface it with "https://" (note the "s").
To use the proper secure URL:
Let's assume that you have an order form page on your Web site that you wish to secure.
For customers on the Linux websites hosting platform:
To reference any Web page securely, upload that page anywhere in the root Web (web) directory and use the following URL:
https://mysharedsecureservername/masterFTPuser/myorderform.htm
(e.g., https://idXXXXXX.securedata.net/examplemasteruser/myorderform.htm)
To reference any script securely, upload the script (like any other script) to the cgi-bin and use the following URL:
https://mysharedsecureservername/masterFTPuser/cgi-bin/orderscript.cgi
(e.g., https://idXXXXXX.securedata.net/examplemasteruser/cgi-bin/orderscript.cgi)