Hello guys, i will like us to discuss ssl certificates.

@ Graphicplus, yawatide, greenmouse, slyrox, dhtml, Dual Core and seun share your experience.

Your contribution should be centre around the following:-

- Cheap & Secure
- Easy Integration
- Customer Support
- e.t.c

First to comment. . .

I have not really messed around on SSL like that, used it on some sites though. But i am using it on my framework website - coming really really soon. Until then, i will rather not say much, i will be watching from the sidelines.

I have used SSL certificates from hostmonster on 2 sites so far. I don't know what to say about integration as I just paid for it (around $140 a year) and they tell you it will be active in 24 - 48 hours. Hostmonster's customer support has also been spot on for me, going back 8 years.

If the site you are working on will require an SSL, don't hesitate to insist that the client gets it.

Na waoo for you, which one be first to comment? abi you wan join d group ni?

*dhtml:
First to comment. . .

@Yawatide, can you advise our fellow webmaster which website require ssl integration and the benefit of such??

I have been studying about it lately and i have discovered that almost half of Nigerian Webmasters don't advise clients on web security.

yawa-ti-de:
I have used SSL certificates from hostmonster on 2 sites so far. I don't know what to say about integration as I just paid for it (around $140 a year) and they tell you it will be active in 24 - 48 hours. Hostmonster's customer support has also been spot on for me, going back 8 years.

If the site you are working on will require an SSL, don't hesitate to insist that the client gets it.

Truth is, i always advise my clients on web security, but they always want to cut down cost. . .so very few comply.

To be factual, out of all my clients, only 2 ever accepted to use SSL. We are talking of like well, cant count the number of sites i have done anymore, lets assume ehm (looks left and right furtively) say 50? then that will be 2/50=4%.

I have been using Siteground and StableHost for years now and they are just what I need. Like @Yawa said, there is no much integration. You just pay and the host company will integrate it for you. It's like a package.

Now, not every website uses ssl certificate and indeed not every website needs it.

You use ssl certificate basically when the website has to do with online payments (like paypal and amazon). Beside online payments, one can use ssl certificate on a website if the company is a big company and the website has something to do with confidential personal data (like google, twitter and facebook). You can't just put ssl in a basic static website. It's of no use and the cost will eventually weigh the person down (ssl is roughly between 60 USD and 800 USD per year depends on the vendor). Again, some host companies don't allow ssl certificate for a website on a shared hosting.

@Graphicplus, does a website like nairaland need ssl integration??

flexpro: @Graphicplus, does a website like nairaland need ssl integration??

As you can see, NL is not using ssl certificate. But that does not mean the database is not highly secured.

*dhtml:
First to comment. . .

Another cool way FTP (first to post). Nice to catch in on the Nairaland buzz once in a while lol.

^^^Dont mind those NL frontpage FTP guys, dont know what is wrong with them. Maybe i might write a script to alert me whenever NL update their frontpage so that i can win the FTP award of the year.

Mehn, this SSL issue na big deal o!

It is not advisable to use ssl on all pages on a website,it is recommended on specific pages when/where u need to transmit or store highly confidential data.inappopriate use of ssl can impact negatively on your site speedwise.

Only use ssl on pages that transmit personal/login data between the user and the server.
That thing reduces the loading speed of websites drastically.

Those that said it's a package/automatic integration are definitely right but not on dedicated/self-managed servers. The good thing is that your hosting provider will help you in the integration.

For those who are following the topic that need to know about ssl see below.

What is SSL?
The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) is the most widely deployed security protocol used today. It is essentially a protocol that provides a secure channel between two machines operating over the Internet or an internal network. In today’s Internet focused world, the SSL protocol is typically used when a web browser needs to securely connect to a web server over the inherently insecure Internet.

Technically, SSL is a transparent protocol which requires little interaction from the end user when establishing a secure session. In the case of a browser for instance, users are alerted to the presence of SSL when the browser displays a padlock, or, in the case of Extended Validation SSL, when the address bar displays both a padlock and a green bar. This is the key to the success of SSL – it is an incredibly simple experience for end users.

More Details here:- https://www.globalsign.eu/ssl-information-center/what-is-ssl.html

Some hosting company add SSL option to their hosting packages, you can get your own ssl and install, it is very cheap and easy to install.

If you use WHM/CPANEL for your server administration, Follow this step.

1. Get your ssl here - https://www.namecheap.com/ssl-certificates/comodo.aspx (very cheap)
2. Login to your WHM.
3. Locate WHM»SSL/TLS »Generate an SSL Certificate and Signing Request to generate a CSR for your domain
4. After generating your CSR, head back to https://www.namecheap.com/ to submit your CSR.
5. A mail will be sent to the email you provided.
6. After email validation in some minutes you will receive your SSL certificate and other BUNDLE
7. Now Locate WHM»SSL/TLS »Install an SSL Certificate on a Domain to install your certificate

NOTE.
* You will need a dedicated IP to install your SSL.
* You need to get the CA_BUNDLE of the ssl your bought. it is an optional field while installing your SSL, but from past experience, it is needed for it to work on all browser.
* EVSSL (green bar ssl) are not issued immediately.

Ssl is no longer secure according to an article I read some days ago.
http://thehackernews.com/2013/08/sniffing-https-BREACH-exploit-blackhat-hacking-tool.html?m=1#.UgFkdWAy890.twitter

Well, nothing is 100% secure on internet, or so i immagine. SSL is just one out of several security options we have available. Web security is a really really big topic.

But let us limit our talk to SSL, and how we can get the Nigerian people to use it more.

I totally agree with you on this, imagine deploying an e-commerce website to a client without advising him on the need of ssl security.

The early the better we start bring some of this option to the table when negotiating on web projects with clients the better for us.

*dhtml:
Well, nothing is 100% secure on internet, or so i immagine. SSL is just one out of several security options we have available. Web security is a really really big topic.

But let us limit our talk to SSL, and how we can get the Nigerian people to use it more.

Even FBI network is also vulnerable when it comes to security breach. You will not let your door open simply because the person selling security padlock says that he is not giving you 100% guaranteed that it will protect your valuables

Djtm: Ssl is no longer secure according to an article I read some days ago.
http://thehackernews.com/2013/08/sniffing-https-BREACH-exploit-blackhat-hacking-tool.html?m=1#.UgFkdWAy890.twitter

depending on your host, you can get basic comodo ssl free but you can only install the certificate on a dedicated ip address (which you will have to purchase ).. things to note here is

1. relying on ssl doesn't secure your site.
2. even the costliest ssl certificate isn't fool proof.
3. the higher d cost of ssl the higher d liability amount you can get if they are breached.... so basically they tell u, if you go for so so plan n u r compromised we pay you so so amount.
4. the higher you go the stricter their policies. as in the requirements your site must have before they sell u the certificate.

hope i was able to help someone.

^^^SSL is just one out of several security options. Good coding practices will save you a lot of stress too.

If SSL is worthless then why world's #1 E-commerce store like Amazon, Walmart use SSL Certificate? Why world's leading Social Media website like Facebook, Twitter use SSL Certificate?

SSL is most trusted sign to prove your website is legitimacy. If you buy your ssl from Leading Certificate authority like Symantec then it will give you more then $1,000,000 NetSure extended warranty.

In my personal opinion, SSL Certificate is worth for your website.

Well, nothing is 100% secure on internet, or so i immagine. SSL is just one out of several security options we have available. Web security is a really really big topic.
website security ssl