The top cyber threats facing the manufacturing industry are ransomware, supply chain attacks, insider threats, phishing and social engineering attacks. In 2023, the manufacturing sector accounted
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates are digital certificates that authenticate a website’s identity and encrypt the connection between a web browser and a web server. An SSL certificate is added to an organization’s website to make sure online transactions are secure and customer information remains private. You can tell whether a website has an SSL certificate by looking for a lock icon next to the website’s URL in the address bar, which indicates that the website you’re visiting is protected.

Continue reading to learn why websites need SSL certificates, how they work, what they’re made up of, their varying types and how you can tell if a website is protected by one.
Why websites need an SSL certificate
Websites need SSL certificates to keep your data secure, verify company ownership and stop cybercriminals from creating spoofed versions of their websites. SSL, also called TLS, encrypts any website with an HTTPS web address, as well as that website’s traffic. SSL/TLS encryption uses public-private key pairs, meaning web browsers have a public key that opens a connection based on a website’s SSL certificate. Without an SSL certificate, a website will not appear trustworthy because you will see “not secure” or a similar message in the address bar rather than the lock icon indicating that the website you’re visiting is safe.
How do SSL certificates work?
The main goal of SSL certificates is to protect any data transferred between you and a website by encrypting it in an unreadable format. This ensures that anyone who could intercept your data will be unable to steal or alter private information. An SSL certificate works in these steps:
- A server tries to connect to a website with an SSL certificate
- The server requests that the website identify itself
- The website gives the server a copy of its SSL certificate to prove its identity
- The server determines whether it can trust the website based on its SSL certificate
- The server returns a digitally signed acknowledgement so you can use the SSL-certified website, which will trigger data encryption to begin
- The website and server begin sharing encrypted data
Although these may seem like many steps, SSL works incredibly quickly, with all this happening in a matter of milliseconds.
Understanding the elements of an SSL certificate
There are several components to an SSL certificate that help it validate its identity to web servers and associate it with its domain to protect your data. Here are the main elements of an SSL certificate:
- Domain name, which is the name of a website, such as Google.com. An SSL certificate is issued for a specific domain name to identify it as unique.
- Name of who it was issued to, referring to the person or organization responsible for the website or at least setting it up.
- Issuing authority name, which is the entity that provides an SSL certificate to a domain.
- Certificate authority’s digital signature, which ensures the authority listed in the SSL certificate is who they claim to be.
- Associated subdomains, which are listed in association with the primary domain. These come before the primary domain, so “blog” in “blog.example.com” is a subdomain.
- Date of issue, which shows the date that an SSL certificate was issued with its corresponding domain and subdomains.
- Expiration date, which indicates when the SSL certificate will expire. Most expiration dates are one or two years after the SSL certificate’s date of issue.
- Public key, which is a string of letters, numbers and symbols used to encrypt data between you and the website.
Types of SSL certificates
Multiple types of SSL certificates have varying validation levels. Let’s dive into each of the five main types of SSL certificates.
Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates
Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates are the most expensive type of SSL certificate, typically used for high-profile websites that collect data and require online payments. An EV SSL certificate owner must undergo a standardized identity verification process to ensure they are authorized to have exclusive rights to the associated domain. Because the owners of this type of SSL certificate go through the most extensive level of background checks and identity verification, you can trust that any website with an EV SSL certificate is legitimate.
Domain Validated (DV) SSL certificates
It is much easier to obtain a Domain Validated (DV) SSL certificate, which is usually used for blogs or informational websites that do not collect data or conduct online transactions. A DV SSL certificate is one of the least expensive to buy and one of the fastest to receive. Since the identity verification process for a DV SSL certificate only requires proof of domain ownership through a phone call or email, this type of SSL certificate has minimal encryption and, therefore, lower assurance that your data will be secure.
Organization Validated (OV) SSL certificates
Organization Validated (OV) SSL certificates encrypt your sensitive information during online transactions, offering a similar assurance level to EV SSL certificates. An OV SSL certificate owner must go through an intense identity verification process, and upon receiving the OV SSL certificate, a website will display the owner’s information in the address bar to show that it is not a malicious website. Commercial organizations must implement an SSL certificate on their website to protect any customer information, such as credit card numbers and addresses.
Wildcard SSL certificates
If a website has many subdomains, a good option to protect data and increase assurance is a Wildcard SSL certificate. Instead of buying multiple SSL certificates for each subdomain, a Wildcard SSL certificate secures a base domain and unlimited subdomains all in one. For example, if your website is example.com, but you also have support.example.com, login.example.com, blog.example.com and other subdomains, you can use a Wildcard SSL certificate to secure all of them.
Multi-Domain SSL certificates
For multiple domains and/or subdomains, Multi-Domain SSL certificates secure completely unique domains and subdomains. If you need to secure more than one domain and/or subdomain, a Multi-Domain SSL certificate is the best option because you can list them in a Subject Alternative Name (SAN) field to specify which hostnames you want protected.
How to tell if a website has an SSL certificate
You can tell if a website has an SSL certificate by looking at the URL or checking for a lock icon in your address bar. You’ll notice a URL will begin with “HTTPS” instead of “HTTP” if a website has an SSL certificate to indicate that the website is secure, which is what the S in HTTPS stands for. A secure website with an SSL certificate will also show a padlock icon in your browser’s address bar. By clicking on this icon, you can view the website’s security credentials, such as its SSL certificate.
A website lacking an SSL certificate will typically cause your browser to display a warning message informing you that your connection is not secure. The icon for an insecure connection may appear as a red, unlocked padlock icon, a line striking through the URL or a caution triangle above the padlock icon. It’s important to note that some phishing websites can obtain SSL certificates with the least secure identity verification process, so closely examine a website’s URL and look for discrepancies if you are suspicious.

Protect your data by visiting secure websites
It can be challenging to determine if a website is entirely safe, but you can protect your privacy and data by avoiding websites that lack an SSL certificate. Websites need SSL certificates to protect your data, so understanding how an individual or organization can obtain an SSL certificate is crucial for knowing which websites you can trust. You can tell if a website has an SSL certificate by looking at its URL or identifying a padlock icon, indicating its strong security.