The OpenSRS trust service offers SSL certificates that secure communications between users and websites. 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 website is kept confidential. Web server certificates are required to initialize an SSL session.
Customers know when they have a secured session with a website when their browser displays the padlock, and the URL begins with HTTPS. SSL Certificates are used on web servers for browsing and mail servers for access.
Business websites must have an SSL certificate to:
- Validate online businesses by a globally recognized third party
- Encrypt sensitive data such as credit card numbers or passwords
Products overview
Trust services offered through OpenSRS have the highest encryption levels available, compatible with over 99% of all browsers, and include globally recognized certification seals. The terms vary by supplier and product. Validity is up to 1 year.
The OpenSRS trust services offering includes certificates from Sectigo, GeoTrust, SiteLock, DigiCert, Thawte, and Trustwave.
| Sectigo | Sectigo offers a comprehensive range of highly-trusted SSL certificate products designed to meet the needs of every business. |
| GeoTrust | Sectigo offers a comprehensive range of highly-trusted SSL certificate products designed to meet the needs of every business. |
| SiteLock | SiteLock offers website security products that meet the needs of small businesses without requiring CSRs or web server installation scripts. It performs daily malware, network, and spam scans and provides a trust seal that lets visitors know that the site is safe. |
| DigiCert | DigiCert resonates very well with large companies and corporations that want to obtain the highest levels of security possible. |
| Thawte | Thawte is a leading provider of certificates. Its brand is particularly strong in Europe and appeals to European businesses. |
| Trustwave | Trustwave helps companies of all sizes reduce SSL costs while maintaining a high level of trust and security. |
Note: Certificates with common names or SANs that include an IP address are not supported at this time.
Types of SSL certificates
The type of SSL certificate you choose depends on whether you want to validate a single domain or an entire enterprise and the level of validation you wish to provide.
Domain-vetted certificates
SSL Certificates for domains ensure that a recognized certificate provider has authenticated the domain. Visitors to the site click on the seal to verify that the certificate is still valid, giving site visitors extra peace of mind.
The provisioning time for domain certificates is 10 minutes.
Organization-vetted certificates
When corporate identity verification is important, an SSL certificate for the organization assures customers that the website is trustworthy and secure.
The provisioning time for organization certificates is two to four business days.
Extended Validation certificates
With Extended Validation (EV), the address bar is displayed in green in addition to a certificate seal, providing customers with an extra level of confidence. The green address bar is a strong visual indication that the site has an EV certificate. The security status bar displays the organization name and the name of the Certificate Authority (CA).
The provisioning time for EV certificates is five to seven business days.
Wildcard certificates
Wildcard SSL certificates are used when several same-domain websites need to be secured, but the hostnames or sub-domains vary. Multiple subdomains on one physical box are secured when sharing the same second-level domain name.
The common name in the CSR needs to use an asterisk wildcard in the subdomain field. Securing sub-domains on multiple boxes required separate wildcards for each box.
The provisioning time for wildcard certificates is two to four business days.
Subject Alternative Name certificates
Subject Alternative Name (SAN) certificates allow you to specify a list of additional domains or other entities that will be covered by a single SSL certificate. Depending on the product, you can specify multiple top-level domains, subdomains, IP addresses, internal server names, and more. The total number you can protect with a single certificate varies by product.
These multi-domain certificates are more flexible than wildcard certificates because they are not limited to the same domain or the same number of levels.
The provisioning time for SAN certificates is two to four business days.
Site seals
A site seal certifies that the site owner has been verified and that the site is free of malware.
Seal products are used in two ways:
- By site owners who don't require an SSL certificate but want to add an additional layer of assurance/reputability to their business.
- By site owners who already have an SSL certificate but want to add an additional layer of security.
SiteLock seals
Every website protected by SiteLock goes under an evaluation which includes:
- Verification of the website owner's contact information.
- Checks for malware, viruses, SQL injections, and cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.
- Verifies email addresses and servers haven't been included on spam blacklists.
No CSRs or web server installation scripts are required.
Product list
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