Web security is a large field, requiring extensive information to know which one you should focus on. After gathering much information, you might need help finding the right SSL to work with on your site. SSL certificates are important for any type of website ranging from small business, schools, ecommerce, etc.
They enable website owners to secure their websites to build trust amongst their clients and get more site visitors. It protects sensitive data by ensuring when the data gets transmitted, it uses HTTPS rather than HTTP, which makes it hard for hackers to find any vulnerability. The certificates impact Search Engine Optimization efforts, making your site rank higher on search results, leading to more conversions.
When researching how to secure your website, installing a positive SSL appears on the checklist. Positive SSL is a type of SSL certificate with a lot of benefits, especially for small website owners who don’t have an expensive budget. The guide will cover more details about positive SSL, common cyber threats it protects you from, what to do if you don’t have an SSL site, and how to reap more benefits with positive SSL.
What is Positive SSL?
Positive SSL is a type of SSL certificate offered by Sectigo that is good for small businesses and websites that handle fewer transactions, i.e., blogs, personal pages, and websites. It is cheaper and consists of domain validation. It uses the standard 256-bit encryption algorithm and 2048-bit CSR encryption, which makes it meet the National Institute for Standards and Technology.
Its issuance is under a few minutes, and it supports all versions of browsers (Mozilla, Chrome, Opera, and Safari) and all operating systems (Windows, Apple MAC, Linux). Their prices start from $10.00 per year and $8.00/year for five years with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a warrant of $50,000. The Positive SSL certificate improves trust amongst your visitors, gives you a proper identity, and safeguards all your data when transferring it online.
Types of Cyber Threats
Cyber threats mainly target sites without SSL protection and other security measures. Different individuals, groups, insiders, war nations, and companies use them to disrupt the normal functioning of websites and systems, steal and sell sensitive data, ask for large amounts of money, and cause damage to companies. Common cyber threats are as follows:
1. Malware
It is a software code that harms the computer system, users, network, and servers. There are
several types of malwares:
a) Ransomware
Ransomware happens when cyber criminals require you to pay a certain amount of money to online payment methods, mainly Bitcoin, for you to access your files, websites, systems, or data. Failure will block you from accessing them permanently and end up leaking all your sensitive data online, either for a fee or free for people to have access. Sometimes, even after making a payment, they don’t decrypt them, causing many issues.
b) Viruses and Worms
Viruses are malicious code normally installed on applications, browsers, operating systems, and websites without the user’s knowledge. They spread when they run, causing issues with all your data and applications. Worms act unlike viruses, but they don’t need to run for them to spread to other programs and data (they self-replicate).
c) Trojan
Trojan is a malicious code that pretends to be useful and not harmful and hides under useful programs like games, downloads, extensions, and applications. They steal sensitive information, control the user’s data and device, and spread other types of malware. Common trojans include remote access Trojans (RATs) and dropper Trojans.
d) Spyware
Spyware is a malicious code installed in applications, browsers, and devices to steal sensitive information or user data like usernames, passwords, and credit card details and send them to cybercriminals without your knowledge.
e) Adware
Adware tracks the user’s browsing behavior and interests and uses it later to decide which ads to display to the user. It lowers the device's performance and brings a bad experience to the user.
f) Rootkits
Rootkits are software normally installed under other applications like operating systems, kernels, firmware, and hypervisors. It gives hackers remote access to change, control devices and systems, and spread more malware.
2. Social Engineering
It tricks the victim into taking actions that will reveal sensitive information to them. The common ones include phishing, whaling, and business email compromise. Phishing involves sending emails to the target, but they seem to come from a legitimate source. Once they click on the links, the hackers can direct you to a malicious website and have access to your sensitive information.
3. Injection Attacks
Injection attacks use different methods to find vulnerabilities in a system and input malicious code. Common injection attacks are as follows:
SQL injection-they attack the database by sending a malicious code to the database to change how SQL commands get executed.
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)-The hackers input malicious JavaScript when a user executes. It directs them to a malicious website, making hackers steal sessions and use them to steal your users’ sensitive data.
Other injection attacks include XML External Entities (XXE), OS command, LDAP, and code injection.
4. Denial of Service (DDoS)
DDoS is a cyber-attack when hackers send excessive traffic from different sources and locations that your servers can’t handle, causing downtime. It makes the websites unresponsive, making them impossible to access. Common types include SYN flood DDoS, HTTP flood DDoS, ICMP flood, UDP flood DDoS, and NTP amplification.
5. Spoofing
Spoofing happens when hackers behave like a legitimate source and send the target information regarding the source to get sensitive information from them. Three common spoofing methods used include email spoofing, domain spoofing, and ARP spoofing.
What to do if Your Site Doesn’t Have SSL Certificate
SSL certificate is important for everyone who owns a website, and if you lack one, there are higher chances of being a victim of rampant cyber threats. SSL certificates protect your sensitive information from hackers and cyber threats.
The site owner must take several actions to keep the site safe. Follow the steps below if you lack an SSL certificate on your site:
Research SSL certificate sellers and select the reliable one with a better support system.
Perform tests and validation to ensure everything works perfectly.
Perform updates of all your software to fix any vulnerabilities that may lead to cyberthreats.
Implement two-factor authentication using SMS code or authentication applications to provide extra security to your site.
How to Safeguard Your Website with Positive SSL
There are several steps that one can follow to install Positive SSL on their website. The steps are straightforward, and you don’t need a lot of knowledge to implement them. The procedure is as follows:
Select the type of SSL certificate that meets your website type, i.e., domain validation,organization validation, and extended validation, and then select your provider to purchase, i.e.,RapidSSL, Comodo Positive SSL, and Thawte.
Generate your Customer Signing Request and private key using the correct information, i.e., domain name, company, division, state, and city.
Choose your authentication method, i.e., Email Authentication, HTTP File-Based Authentication, HTTPS File-Based Authentication, or CNAME Authentication, and then input your generated Customer Signing Request details.
Verify your URL address and complete the verification process. It will ensure your order is active and you have the chance to install your certificate.
Install your Positive SSL certificate using the provided SSL guide.
Conclusion
Positive SSL has made it easier for business owners to have SSL certificates installed on their sites. It is cheap and affordable compared to other types of SSL certificates like. Every owner
must ensure they have the certificate due to the benefits one gets from having it. The article covered several steps to protect their website with positive SSL from cyber threats.