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Lanset Web Security Services is a Premium Partner of GeoTrust, the leading provider of next generation information security services, delivers secure e-commerce transactions, identity verification and authentication solutions to the global web community.

SSL Certificates Frequently Asked Questions

SSL Server Certificate
What is a SSL server certificate?
Why do businesses use SSL server certificates?
Who uses SSL server certificates?
How does it work?
How secure is it?
Can I transfer SSL certificates to other server?
How to tell if a website is secure?
Why are https pages so slow?
Why do I get a warning message of security certificate?


QuickSSL Premium
What is QuickSSL?
What is SSL?
Why are QuickSSL web server certificates so inexpensive?
What web browser programs are compatible with QuickSSL?
What is a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and QuickSSL certificate?
How do I install QuickSSL Premium Seal?



What is a SSL server certificate?
An electronic certificate that establishes credentials when doing business or other transactions on the Web. It is issued by a certification authority (CA).

It contains a user’s name, serial number, expiration dates, a copy of the certificate holder's public key (used for encrypting messages and digital signatures), and the digital signature of the certificate-issuing authority so that a recipient can verify that the certificate is real.

When transactions occur on the web, SSL encrypts the buyer’s credit card information for transmission to the merchant, and then decrypts at the merchant’s site.


Why do businesses use SSL server certificates?
To encrypt communication between browser and server in order to provide a secure environment where sensitive data can be transmitted.


Who uses SSL server certificates?
Any company who conducts business via the web and needs to protect browser to server communication. Any website owner who wants to assure customers that they are not exposed to any of the risks associated with sending sensitive data, such as credit card numbers, over an open network (such as the Internet).


How does it work?
Digital certificates encrypt data using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology, the industry-standard method for protecting web communications.

The SSL security protocol provides data encryption, server authentication, message integrity, and optional client authentication for a TCP/IP connection.

Because SSL is built into all major browsers and web servers, simply installing a digital certificate initiates SSL capabilities.


How secure is it?
SSL comes in two strengths, 40-bit and 128-bit, which refer to the length of the "session key" generated by every encrypted transaction.

The longer the key, the more difficult it is to break the encryption code.

Most browsers support 40-bit SSL sessions, and the latest browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator 4.0, enable users to encrypt transactions in 128-bit sessions - trillions of times stronger than 40-bit sessions.


Can I transfer SSL certificate to other server?
In order to guarantee the security of this certificate, Hostik will not permit its transfer to servers outside the Hostik services.


How to tell if a website is secure?
If a website does not have an SSL certificate, web users will see the "unlocked" padlock icon in their browser windows. If a secure SSL connection is established between the web browser and the web server, the "http" in the web address will normally change to "https", for example: "http://www.lanset.net" becomes "https://www.lanset.net". The SSL connected browser will also display the "locked" padlock icon. To test whether a site has a valid certificate, try to initiate a secure connection with that website by accessing the URL using the https:// prefix instead of http://


Why are https pages so slow?
Any page you link to using https:// rather than http:// will be encrypted and will load securely. SSL will slow down page load times, so it is strongly advised that you use this option only for pages that require data to be secure, such as order forms.


Why do I get a warning message of security certificate?
If your certificate has been installed, then your problem is that you access your site without the "www". You must use www in https://www.yourdomain.com. If you receive a warning of secure and non-secure, the links of the images/files may contain non-secure. You'll need to put 's' in https://www.domain.com/image.jpg for secure image. All secure files must be in same secure domain site.


Why do businesses need identity assurance?
To prevent online identity fraud. To protect their brand and assure that they are not misrepresented on the Internet.

To provide assurance to customers – creates consumer confidence


Who uses identity assurance?
Any business who has a presence on the web should protect their identity.


What is identity assurance?
Provides assurance that the entity you are doing business with online is really who they say they are.

The Internet enables anyone to put up a web site and begin conducting business. Cases of web site “spoofing” (copying someone else’s web site for fraudulent use) are on the rise.

One example: (4/99) a counterfeit web site was put up by an employee of PairGain. The site had the exact look and feel of Bloomberg’s web site, however, incorrect content was place within the spoofed site indicating that PairGain was being acquired. Investors were duped into investing $63M, all of which was lost.


What is QuickSSL?
QuickSSL is a web server certificate that allows consumers and web sites to conduct safe e-commerce with encrypted SSL connections. QuickSSL web server certificates are compatible with 98% of all browsers.


What is SSL?
The SSL (secure socket layer) protocol is the web standard for encrypting communications between users and web sites. Data sent via an SSL connection is protected by encryption, a mechanism that prevents eavesdropping and tampering with any transmitted data. SSL provides businesses and consumers with the confidence that private data sent to a web site, such as credit card numbers, are kept confidential. Web server certificates are required to initialize an SSL session.


Why are QuickSSL web server certificates so inexpensive?
Historically, most SSL certificates cost $350 or more, but GeoTrust has developed fully automated systems to verify that a certificate purchaser has appropriate administrative rights to a web server's domain. This greatly lowers our costs for issuing QuickSSL certificates, and we pass those savings on to you. With QuickSSL, you can assure your customers that their transactions and information are secure on the Internet without having to pay an unreasonable price.


What web browser programs are compatible with QuickSSL?
QuickSSL is compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer® 5.01 and higher and Netscape/AOL web browsers version 4.51 and higher, comprising an estimated 98% or more of all web browsers in use today. All other commonly used browsers may connect securely with web servers using QuickSSL certificates. However, some older browsers may display a dialogue box indicating that the certificate is not trusted. This means that the certificate is not located in the browser certificate store and, in most cases, the user will be prompted to install it with a few clicks of their mouse.


What is a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and QuickSSL Certificate?
A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) is a special file with encoded information generated by a Web server necessary to request a digital certificate from a certificate authority. QuickSSL Certificate is a Digital Certificate that must be obtained from certificate authority.


How do I install QuickSSL Premium seal?
To install QuickSSL premium seal, simply add the following lines to each web page on which you want the QuickSSL Premium seal to appear:
<!-- GeoTrust QuickSSL [tm] Smart Icon tag. Do not edit. -->
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" TYPE="text/javascript" SRC="//smarticon.geotrust.com/si.js"></SCRIPT>
<!-- end GeoTrust Smart Icon tag -->
These instructions will retrieve your QuickSSL Premium registration data from the QuickSSL Premium registry server and cause the QuickSSL Premium seal to be displayed on your web page. Remember, the web page on which you place this QuickSSL Premium seal must use exactly the same domain that is in your QuickSSL Premium enrollment application. For instance, if the enrollment is for www.example.com, then the QuickSSL Premium registration is for that site, and does not include other fully qualified domains like www2.example.com.