Do you own a business website?

If yes, cybersecurity should be your top priority. 

Why? Because, on average, 30,000 websites are hacked every day. That's a new cyberattack happening approximately every 39 seconds somewhere on the Internet.

Neglecting security puts both you and your customers in danger, which isn't good.

But there's a solution! You can use HTTPS, along with an SSL or TLS certificate, to show users that your website is secure and encrypted. 

In this website security guide, we'll explain what SSL/TLS encryption is and why it is important for your business.

Understanding Data Encryption and Authentication

Internet data travels incredibly fast. However, despite this speed, data doesn't instantly reach its destination. It passes through various devices along its journey from one point to another.

While data is on the move, it's vulnerable. It's a fact — criminals are after data, and your business could be their target. That's because stolen data holds value and comes with a hefty price tag. Studies show that the average cost of a data breach for a company is USD 3.92 million.

We generate, upload, and send about 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. And keeping track of all this information traveling across the internet is no easy task. This is where data encryption and authentication, like TLS and SSL, come into play.

What do data encryption and authentication do? 

Data encryption and authentication work to safeguard sensitive information by scrambling it while it's being transmitted. The recipient, like a web server, receives a key to decrypt the data. Without this key, any intercepted encrypted data appears as a nonsensical jumble.

Effective encryption and decryption require an agreement between the sender and receiver. This is where security protocols like TLS and SSL come in. 

If you want to keep your website secure, Hocoos AI website builder can help. With this platform, you can build safe and secure websites in minutes. It also offers domain and hosting services to ensure security. 

What is SSL?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) was developed by Netscape in 1994. It serves as the security protocol within HTTPS, ensuring encryption and authentication between different components on a network. 

SSL encryption/decryption is a technique used to maintain the security of internet connections, whether between clients, servers, or both. This prevents unauthorized individuals from accessing or tampering with any user data transmitted over the internet.

Initially, SSL encryption was designed to safeguard transactions between customers and online businesses. However, as cybercriminals began targeting personal information and browsing habits, SSL adoption expanded beyond e-commerce sites. In 1999, an updated protocol named TLS was introduced, supplanting SSL as the standard security certificate.

What is TLS?

TLS, or Transport Layer Security, represents an advanced and more secure iteration of SSL. While often used interchangeably, TLS offers enhanced security features compared to SSL.

Both TLS and SSL serve the same purpose: ensuring privacy, authentication, and data integrity across various applications like messaging, web browsing, and email.

TLS has garnered more trust due to its improvements over SSL. It addresses known vulnerabilities, supports stronger encryption methods, and facilitates a quicker handshake process. Additionally, TLS includes extra security features such as the "close notify" message and HMAC for message authentication.

TLS has undergone four versions, with TLS 1.3 being the latest and most secure. You can recognize a TLS connection in your browser by the padlock icon and the "HTTPS" prefix in the URL.

While the term SSL is still commonly used, it's important to acknowledge TLS as the modern, superior version. For precision, IT experts often refer to both protocols as "SSL/TLS."

What is HTTPS?

The web functions as a distributed client/server system, where clients request information from servers using specific protocols. These protocols establish rules for communication between servers and clients.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the basic protocol of the World Wide Web, managing data transmission, formatting, and server responses. While widely used, HTTP lacks security measures like data encryption and authentication, making transmitted data vulnerable. 

To address this, HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) creates an encrypted connection between clients and servers, protecting websites from tampering, eavesdropping, and data theft.

Initially, HTTPS was primarily for e-commerce and business sites handling sensitive information like passwords and credit card details. However, new recommendations suggest that all websites, even informational ones, should use HTTPS. 

Google encourages this approach by giving slight ranking boosts to HTTPS sites. It displays "not secure" warnings in the address bars of non-HTTPS sites in the Chrome browser.

How Does SSL/TLS Encryption Work?

To guarantee that data in transit is secure and unaltered, SSL/TLS uses both symmetric and asymmetric encryption. Between a client and server, asymmetric encryption creates a safe connection. However, within this secure session, data exchange takes place via symmetric encryption.

A website needs an SSL/TLS certificate for its web server or domain name in order to use SSL/TLS encryption. The following procedures, when followed after installation, allow the secure negotiation of encryption levels using this certificate:

• The client uses a secure URL (HTTPS) to connect to the server.
• The client receives the server's certificate and public key.
• The client checks with a Trusted Root Certification Authority to confirm the validity of the certificate.
• In order to determine the strongest encryption type each party can support, the client and server negotiate.
• Using the public key of the server, the client encrypts a session key and returns it.
• The server creates the session by using its private key to decrypt the client message.
• Symmetric encryption uses a session key to encrypt and decrypt data sent back and forth between the client and server.

A lock icon in the browser address bar indicates that communication is secure when using HTTPS (SSL/TLS + HTTP).

Different Levels of SSL/TLS Certificates

To meet the needs of diverse business applications, TLS/SSL certificates provide multiple security levels. There are three tiers to these certificates:

• Domain validation certificates

  The most basic level does not confirm the identity of the company, but it does demand verification of domain ownership.

• Organization validation certificates

  Proof of domain ownership and official business registration are required at this stage. It is appropriate for user data processing on public websites.

• Extended validation certificates

  These certificates surpass domain and corporate verification, making them the most secure. They have further precautions against data manipulation.

Significance of SSL/TLS Certificate 

For the security of your website, having an SSL/TLS certificate and providing an HTTPS connection are essential. It makes sure that any prospective interceptors, like those who use man-in-the-middle attacks, cannot access the data transferred between your server and the browsers of your visitors. 

Google Chrome has started classifying HTTP sites as "not secure" since July 2018. Losing Google's trust can have a big effect on how well your website ranks in searches and cause visitors to worry about their safety. 

Since 2014, Google has given SSL certificates priority in its algorithm, and as of right now, they are much more significant. Even when all other parameters remain the same, websites with SSL certificates typically rank higher than those without.

Why Should You Use SSL/TLS Certificate for Your Website?

The following are some justifications for using an SSL/TLS certificate on your website:

• Data privacy and confidentiality

  Through encoding, SSL/TLS encryption protects data transferred between users and servers. Sensitive data, such as credit card numbers and personal identity numbers, require extra protection.

• Authentication

  Cryptographic keys included in SSL/TLS certificates verify the legality of the website and authenticate the identity of the server. Users can identify between harmful and legitimate websites with the help of this authentication process.

• Data integrity

  Encryption guarantees the integrity of data and keeps it safe during transmission. SSL/TLS encryption ensures that received data is exactly the same as supplied content by identifying any unwanted changes or tampering.

• Compliance with regulations

  Organizations can comply with multiple data protection standards, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), with the use of SSL/TLS encryption. The use of encryption is required in order to comply with these requirements and protect users' personal information.

• Trust and customer confidence

  SSL/TLS encryption is a demonstration of an organization's dedication to protecting user privacy and security. Customers get more confident and trusting as a result.

How to Implement SSL/TLS Certificate?

To establish an SSL/TLS certificate, you must do the following three fundamental steps:

1. Choose a certificate authority

A reputable organization that certifies digital certificates is the Certificate Authority (CA). Because trusted CAs are pre-installed on systems and browsers, a CA's reputation is very important.

You must assess the credibility, standing, and dependability of CAs. Take into account the variety of costs that CAs provide according to the type of certificate and level of validation.

2. Certificate installation

It's time to configure the SSL/TLS certificate on the server after choosing a CA and acquiring it.

• Download certificate:The CA will offer a link to get the certificate following validation.
• Install on server:The installation process varies based on the type of server.

3. Testing and validation

Checking that everything works properly after installation is crucial.

• Browser testing:Go to the website using https:// and look for the lock icon in the address bar of your browser.
• SSL test tools:For a thorough configuration assessment, use online tools.
• Code test:Use a JavaScript snippet to identify unsafe content and make sure that every part of the page loads securely.

Upon effective implementation of the certificate, the website gains confidence from its visitors and benefits from encryption. 

Conclusion

Any website that shares data online, not only e-commerce platforms, is susceptible to fraudsters. To protect sensitive data, SSL/TLS certificates offer reliable encryption and decryption. 

Therefore, to safeguard both your website and the information of your customers, make sure you apply SSL/TLS encryption if you manage a business website. Your website will become safer and more reliable as a result. We hope that our website security guide has helped you.