SSL Encryption and Digital Certificates
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption provides a level of security and privacy for those wishing
to conduct secure transactions over the Internet. Introduced by Netscape Communications,
the SSL protocol protects HTTP transmissions over the Internet by adding a layer of encryption. This insures that your
transactions are not subject to "sniffing" by a third party. For companies wishing to conduct
E-Commerce, such as receiving credit card numbers or other sensitive
information, SSL is a must.
SSL is normally
used in tandem with a Digital Certificate. A Digital Certificate gives your customers the assurance that your web site is
legitimately yours and not that of an impostor. It contains information about who owns the certificate (company name, domain
name, contact address, etc) as well as information about the issuing Certificate Authority such as GeoTrust and GlobalSign.
It also provides you with a legal basis to perform transactions on the Internet.
Ordering a Custom SSL Digital Certificate for your Signature Hosting, Virtual Private Server or Managed Private Server is easy. Just use our simple online
Order Forms. No monthly charges are
applicable.
Default SSL Certificates
All AlpineWeb Hosting plans include a Default SSL Certificate with a URL in the form of:
Signature Hosting: https://accountname.securesites.com/
MPS/VPS: https://accountname.securesites.net/
Custom Digital Certificate
For companies wishing to conduct E-Commerce, such as receiving credit card numbers or other sensitive
information, SSL is a must. AlpineWeb offers a turn-key Custom Digital Certificate service with Certificates
from GeoTrust and Global Sign. We'll help you choose the Certificate Authority and SSL Product that's right
for you and your business or organization. For more information on Custom Digital Certificates see:
Custom Digital Certificates
Using SSL
You can access all of the web content on your hosting plan (documents, images, scripts, etc) via SSL by using the
https:// prefix rather than the http:// prefix. For example, your secure web site can be accessed like this:
https://AccountName.securesites.com/
Or with a Custom Digital Certificate like this:
https://Your-Domain-Name.com/
You can send the data collected by a form on your web site to a CGI script via SSL by including something like this in form
page HTML:
<form method="POST"
action="https://Your-Domain-Name.com/cgi-bin/script.cgi">
Be sure that you do NOT reference embedded document content (images, etc) insecurely by using the http:// prefix,
like this: <img src="http://Your-Domain-Name.com/image.gif">.
More Information
For technical documentation of SSL, see:
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