- What is a Web-Certificate?
A Web Server Certificate permits securer communication between
a client and a server (say a customer's browser and a web retailer's
server) or two servers (any servers who want to "talk"
securely amongst themselves). Simply stated, a web-certificate
is a digital document that has unique codes to identify the holder
of the certificate to the person accessing the site.
A Personal Certificate is issued to individuals to certify
their identity. One can use them to digitally sign email, documents,
jar files etc. to prove that they were the author, and that
the files have not been tampered with.
Backland Communications will be offering web certificates.
Personal Certificates may be offered at a later time along with
other security products.
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- How does a web-certificate work?
A Web-certificate functions as follows:
- Whenever anybody transacts with a "secure" web-site,
their browser (or server) authenticates the identity of the
web-site using the web-certificate
- If the site's certificate is not valid, a warning is issued
to the user, otherwise the web-cert creates an SSL (Secure
Server Layer) session and encrypts any information exchanged
during that session
- This prevents communication from being intercepted and
deciphered by nefarious people on the Internet.
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- Can you explain "how a web certificate works" in
"Plain English"?
Basically, when two parties (say a customer and the Amazon.com
web-site) wish to "talk" securely (transfer the customer's
credit-card number to Amazon.com), then a web-certificate sets
up a "secure" session that first verifies the true identity
of the party that requests data transfer (Amazon.com).
If a certificate is valid, the other party (the customer) gets
a message saying that its OK to "talk" to them (Amazon.com),
as they are who they say they are. The other party (customer)
then transfers the info (CC number) securely, without fear of
any nefarious elements intercepting the data.
If the certificate is invalid, a message pops up saying so.
Transactions can still occur, but at the risk of counter party
fraud (It may be joesbooks.com tying to appear as Amazon.com)
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- How can someone tell whether a website is using a web certificate
or not?
The pages of a web-site which are secured by a web-certificate
are characterized by the following traits:
- The URL of the secure web-pages change from http://...
to https://
- A lock symbol appears in the lower left-hand (right hand)
status bar in Netscape Navigator (Internet Explorer).
If one wants to view and verify the encryption information
of the secure pages, onw should simply undertake the following:
- In Netscape - click on the lock symbol above and select
"View Certificate" button
- In Internet Explorer - double-click on the lock in the
lower right-hand status bar.
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- How are your web certificates trusted by the browsers?
Our web certificates are automatically and transparently trusted
by browsers. This trust is established because our supplier's
Root Certificate has been embedded in all major browsers.
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- What browsers will my web certificate work with?
The web certificates we issue work with 99% of the browsers in
use today.
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How do your web certificates work for different versions
of browsers?
Netscape 4.72 and newer - The root certificate is
embedded in this browser
Netscape any version before 4.72 - The root certificate
has been cross certified by a CA that is embedded in this
browser
Internet Explorer 5.01 and newer - The root certificate
is embedded in this browser
Internet Explorer any version before 5.01 - The root
certificate has been cross certified by a CA that is embedded
in this browser
Cross Certification: The process by which two Certificate
Authorities (CA) certify each other's trustworthiness.
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- How long does it take to get a web certificate?
Companies will usually receive a web certificate within three
business days after the verification has been complete. The verification
period varies and relies greatly on the information provided by
the company during the application process. See: http://www.certificateregistration.com
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- How strong are Tucows server certificates?
Tucows server certificates are 1024 bit capable and support 128
bit browsers.
The strength of the public key in the certificate is defined
by you when you generate the key pair for your server. If you
generate a 1024-bit key pair and submit the associated CSR (Certificate
Signing Request), then the certificate you receive contains
the 1024-bit public key. If you generate a 512-bit key pair
then the certificate contains the 512-bit public key.
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Is my web certificate tied to my IP address?
No, server certificates do not contain any information about
IP addresses. However, the domain name listed in the server
certificate must match the domain name of the server on which
the Web server certificate is installed. The domain name can
be mapped to any IP address.
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I am using several servers in a load-balancing configuration.
How many web certificates do I need?
You will need one web certificate for each of your secure
servers (including any virtual servers).
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How do I correct information on my web certificate after
it has been issued to me?
You must issue a request to correct your information on
your web server certificate. You can request one replacement
web server certificate within 30 days of the certificate being
issued without being charged. Any requests made after the 30-day
period, or any requests outside the primary request, will require
you to purchase a new web server certificate. If a processing
error occurs, we will issue a new web server certificate at
no cost to you.
In order to change any information, we must re-issue a new
web certificate with the correct information and re-sign it
- this preserves the integrity of the web certificate. All our
web certificates are electronically signed by the Root Certificate.
This electronic signature ensures that none of the information
contained in the web server certificate has been modified or
tampered with. See http://www.certificateregistration.com
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How do I check the status of my web certificate request?
You can check the status of your order by visiting http://www.certificateregistration.com
and clicking Track Certificate at the bottom of the page.
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How will I know if my enrollment was successful?
The Technical Contact, Authorized Contact and Bill Contact
will receive an e-mail when your order has been processed. This
e-mail includes a link to your request status page and links
to each of the Web server certificates that have been issued.
If any of your server certificate requests have not been approved
the status page explains why.
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