Pros and Cons of Securing Your Web Servers with a Wildcard Certificate
by TheSSLstore SSL Certificate Reseller & PartnerWildcard Certificates are often more cost-effective
than standard SSL Certificates while providing security across an entire Web site rather
than just the main domain or one of its subdomains. However, they are not
without their disadvantages.
Before discussing the Wildcard SSL Certificate model specifically, it is important to understand something
about the Internet domain. Each
domain may be divided into an unlimited number
of subdomains. On eBay, for instance, examples of subdomains include
motors.eBay.com and community.eBay.com. For almost all purposes, these subdomains can be
treated as completely separate from the parent domain name. This specificity
applies to SSL certificates. This can cause problems for a buyer of a security
certificate.
Using a regular SSL certificate, a single domain or
subdomain is protected, while possibly leaving portions of the site unsecured.
For example, for each of these three yourdomain.com, www.yourdomain.com, and shops.yourdomain.com a different SSL certificate must be
obtained. This can add significant costs and
complexity to managing the site’s security. However, there are ways you
can save time and money. Using Wildcard SSL Certificates, you can ensure that an infinite number of sub
domains are secured. Wildcard certificates are becoming more common and
affordable. There are, however, advantages and disadvantages to consider.
Strengths:- You get to use a single certificate
for each domain and all of its subdomains using a wildcard certificate. Provided that you want to secure enough subdomains,
the Wildcard will prove less expensive. Furthermore, if you opt to use individual (non-Wildcard) standard
certificates, and you are using a management interface to deploy twenty individual
certificates, this may be a daunting task. When it comes time to update them, please remember
that you must do everything over again. Wildcard certificates can make renewal and
reimplementation quick and easy.
Weaknesses:- If you use a single certificate on one server, and
the server is hacked, all the subdomains have then been breached. Regarding compatibility, some mobile
operating systems, such as Windows Mobile 5, cannot operate properly with
Wildcard SSL because using a wildcard certificate character (*) is not recognized. Some
vendors provide the Subject Alternative Name SAN
Certificate to allow for
specific inclusion of multiple domains and subdomains. This allows for better
compatibility with mobile devices.
Author’s
Bio:-
Based in
St. Petersburg, Florida, theSSLstore.com has helped companies and organizations
of every size around the globe secure their e-commerce and Internet
communications since its founding in 2007. A leader in Internet security
solutions, (https://www.thesslstore.com) offers affordable Secure Socket Layer
(SSL) certificates, 24/7 support, and sophisticated e-commerce products that
are easy-to-use. TheSSLstore.com has provided SSL certificate
(https://www.thesslstore.com) for multinational companies and top universities
throughout the world, allowing them to encrypt communications and commerce over
the Internet and to increase trust and transactions. Among the Internet
security solutions TheSSLstore.com offers are SSL certificates from VeriSign,
Thawte, GeoTrust, and RapidSSL as well as PCI Compliance from Trustwave’s TrustKeeper.
3. TheSSLstore.com offers are SSL
certificates from VeriSign, Thawte, GeoTrust, and RapidSSL as well as PCI
Compliance from Trustwave’s TrustKeeper.
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Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.