| Frequently Ask Questions - SSL
What is SSL?
This is a security feature that allows all communication
between a browser and CyberSite's servers to be encrypted. You
will know a page is encrypted when the "lock" appears within
your browser window. You can also tell if the beginning of the
URL you are trying to access changes from http:// to https://.
Sites that need to transfer sensitive information such as
password and credit card information from the browser to the
server need to have SSL enabled for their site.
What is an SSL certificate?
An SSL certificate is a "key" file that sets the encryption
between CyberSite's servers and the browser. It is purchased
from a Certificate Provider such as Versign or Thawte
What is the difference between Verisign or Thawte?
The technology is pretty much the same between the SSL
certificates. One does not have "more power" than the other
and the costs do vary widely.
Which SSL certificate does CyberSite recommend?
We support either Verisign or Thawte.
How much does CyberSite charge for an
SSL certificate installation?
We do not charge anything to install an SSL certificate. Each
of the certificate providers mentioned above have their own
yearly fees for use of the certificate.
Can I move my SSL from another host to your servers?
If you are moving from an NT IIS server to ours, there is a
good possibility you can. Ask the administrator of your
current server to export the certificate for you. Then send us
the file and we can try to import it into our servers,
although we can not guarantee it will work. If you have a UNIX
account, you will need to apply for a new SSL certificate.
Why SSL certificate can not work when it is pointed to
another domain?
This is because an SSL certificate is tied to the exact domain
name used in the URL. If you use www.mydomain.com for the SSL
certificate, it will ONLY work if the URL that is requested is
www.mydomain.com. It will not work if it is called
mydomain.com or www2.mydomain.com. If you also wish to have
people access the site securely using a second hostname/domain
name combination, you must purchase a second SSL certificate.
Is there a shared SSL certificate I can use for my site?
We do not provide this feature for security and liability
reasons. Every customer needs to have their own SSL
certificate.
I have an SSL certificate. How do I get the lock to
appear in Netscape?
You must change the URL of the page you are accessing to
https://. This is what triggers the browser into entering "SSL
mode."
Should I use SSL on my entire site?
You could but we do not recommend it. SSL is a very server
intensive process. This will slow down your site tremendously
especially as user traffic increases. You really only need to
protect form pages that you feel are passing information that
is highly sensitive between the server and the browser.
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