Difference between revisions of "SSL FAQs"

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Contact support@growthzone.com so that we can provide helpful, personalized direction in this process. Your solution is determined by which website host and which Content Management System (CMS) you have.
 
Contact support@growthzone.com so that we can provide helpful, personalized direction in this process. Your solution is determined by which website host and which Content Management System (CMS) you have.
  
SmartCMS Customers:  
+
'''SmartCMS Customers:'''
SSL certificate installed by Micronet that covers your entire domain
+
* SSL certificate installed by Micronet that covers your entire domain
Domain-level Validation  
+
* Domain-level Validation  
No additional SSL certificate necessary (in most cases)
+
* No additional SSL certificate necessary (in most cases)
One time $99 fee  
+
* One time $99 fee  
  
LiveEdit Aurora customers:
+
'''LiveEdit Aurora customers:'''
SSL certificate installed by Micronet that covers your subdomain (i.e. members.yourdomain.com or business.yourdomain.com)
+
* SSL certificate installed by Micronet that covers your subdomain (i.e. members.yourdomain.com or business.yourdomain.com)
An additional SSL certificate is required for your main domain and will be obtained from CloudFlare.com and installed by Micronet unless other arrangements are made
+
* An additional SSL certificate is required for your main domain and will be obtained from CloudFlare.com and installed by Micronet unless other arrangements are made
Domain-level Validation  
+
* Domain-level Validation  
One time $99 fee
+
* One time $99 fee
  
All other customers:  
+
'''All other customers:'''
SSL certificate will be installed that covers your subdomain (i.e. members.yourdomain.com or business.yourdomain.com)
+
* SSL certificate will be installed that covers your subdomain (i.e. members.yourdomain.com or business.yourdomain.com)
Domain-level Validation  
+
* Domain-level Validation  
One time $99 fee
+
* One time $99 fee
An additional SSL certificate must be obtained for your main domain
+
* An additional SSL certificate must be obtained for your main domain
Recommend contacting your website host for info/cost of securing your main domain
+
* Recommend contacting your website host for info/cost of securing your main domain
  
 
==What certificate options are available?==
 
==What certificate options are available?==

Revision as of 21:54, 28 November 2017


What is SSL?

SSL (Secure Socket Layer), commonly known as HTTPS, is a communication method for the internet which protects website visitors’ information from being stolen or modified while it is being sent from their computer to a website. This is done by verifying the server identity and encrypting the data.

Who can get SSL?

This is available for all customer websites - both SmartCMS sites and non-SCMS sites.

Why would I want SSL?

SSL gives consumers confidence that sensitive information like their credit card numbers will not be intercepted. Having an SSL certificate for your domain also has benefits in relation to search engine optimization and general consumer trust. In addition, in January 2017 Google released Chrome version 56 which alerts users when they are on webpages that collect either credit card numbers or passwords that are not served over SSL. Eventually, Google will have a strong warning for all webpages not using the HTTPS protocol.

How do I get an SSL Certificate?

Contact support@growthzone.com so that we can provide helpful, personalized direction in this process. Your solution is determined by which website host and which Content Management System (CMS) you have.

SmartCMS Customers:

  • SSL certificate installed by Micronet that covers your entire domain
  • Domain-level Validation
  • No additional SSL certificate necessary (in most cases)
  • One time $99 fee

LiveEdit Aurora customers:

  • SSL certificate installed by Micronet that covers your subdomain (i.e. members.yourdomain.com or business.yourdomain.com)
  • An additional SSL certificate is required for your main domain and will be obtained from CloudFlare.com and installed by Micronet unless other arrangements are made
  • Domain-level Validation
  • One time $99 fee

All other customers:

  • SSL certificate will be installed that covers your subdomain (i.e. members.yourdomain.com or business.yourdomain.com)
  • Domain-level Validation
  • One time $99 fee
  • An additional SSL certificate must be obtained for your main domain
  • Recommend contacting your website host for info/cost of securing your main domain

What certificate options are available?

If allowing GrowthZone Customer Service to install, setup and maintain your SSL certificate, an understanding of the following information is not required but could helpful overall. If you are obtaining the certificate on your own from Cloudflare, this information will need to be understood in order to make appropriate decisions.

Certificates needed: Most SmartCMS customers will need an SSL certificate for a single domain (i.e. your main domain). Customers not using SmartCMS will need either a wildcard certificate (see below) or two single domain certificates, one for your module sub-domain and one for your main domain.

  • Wildcard Certificate - Wildcard SSL certificates secures your domain name and an unlimited number of its subdomains. For example, a single Wildcard certificate can secure www.coolexample.com, member.coolexample.com, and store.coolexample.com.

Note:

  • If purchasing a single domain SSL certificate on your own, you will want to verify with the Certificate Authority (CA) that both the www domain and the non-www domain (e.g. www.myorganization.com and organization.com) will be covered by a single domain SSL certificate. A single domain certificate may be able to handle both domains, but it depends on which CA is issuing the certificate.
  • If asked what type of server we are running - IIS is the correct answer.


Validation levels: The level of validation offered with SSL certificates (Domain, Organization and Extended validation) is not critical to our configuration. The Cloudflare solution provided by GrowthZone will provide Domain Validation. If you choose to provide your own Cloudflare solution, you and your web master may determine what validation level you wish to provide your website visitors.

  • DV (Domain Validated) where the Certificate Authority (CA) checks the right of the applicant to use a specific domain name. No company identity information is vetted and no information is displayed other than encryption information within the Secure Site Seal.
  • OV (Organization Validation) where the CA checks the right of the applicant to use a specific domain name PLUS it conducts some vetting of the organization. Additional vetted company information is displayed to customers when clicking on the Secure Site Seal, giving enhanced visibility in who is behind the site and associated enhanced trust.
  • EV (Extended Validation) where the Certificate Authority (CA) checks the right of the applicant to use a specific domain name PLUS it conducts a THOROUGH vetting of the organization. The issuance process of EV SSL Certificates is strictly defined in the EV Guidelines, as formally ratified by the CA/Browser forum in 2007, that specify all the steps required for a CA before issuing a certificate.

Contact support@micronetonline.com if unsure of your configuration or the minimum requirements for your site.

What is the cost of obtaining and installing the SSL Certificate?

If you are having us do the setup, installation and management of your SSL certificate(s), there is a one time fee of $99. Once you’ve obtained the certificate, installing the SSL Certificate on our server is free. If your website is managed by another party, you will also need to ask them to verify that the website is SSL-ready which may be a charge from them as well.

If you are obtaining the certificate on your own from Cloudflare, the cost will vary dependent on which certificate is chosen. Note that a free certificate is available that meets the minimum requirements for our installation and is the certificate that we will install if you choose to go with our setup. Your IT services provider may determine they want a different certificate or wish to be involved in the process. If so, be sure to calculate the cost of charges they may have to you. Your website will also need be made SSL-ready, for which your webmaster may charge.

What does it mean when you say I need to "verify that my website is SSL-ready?"

Before enabling SSL access to your site, URLs and all references on the website will need mapped from HTTP to HTTPS, which includes all internal website links, images, JavaScript, CSS and other elements. Readiness varies on each site but is likely understood by your webmaster.

Also note, if your website has any widgets that were generated using the Internet Settings Control Panel (ISCP), they will need to be re-generated and updated on your website prior to enabling SSL.

How do I get the SSL Certificate installed on my website?

If you are having us do the setup, installation and management of your SSL certificate(s), you do not need to do anything. We will take care of this for you.

If you are obtaining the certificate on your own using Cloudflare, this will be taken care of by your IT Services provider.

If you are not obtaining the certificate from Cloudflare, you can email your SSL Certificate file to support@micronetonline.com Your GrowthZone contact will work with you on getting SSL in place for your website.

In all cases, once the SSL Certificate is installed and the site is SSL-ready, a security ‘lock’ icon is visible on popular website browsers, indicating the SSL Certificate is in place and the website is secure.

Noteworthy Information

  • The implementation of SSL on our servers uses a technology called Server Name Identification (SNI) which is not supported by older web browsers such as Internet Explorer version 7 and older, or for any users of IE that have the Windows XP operating system.
  • SSL is designed to protect only info in transit, not to be confused with protection for the server where the website is hosted.
  • Particularly sensitive information such as credit card information being sent from your website to our server is already secured on the ChamberMaster / MemberZone servers. Having an SSL certificate for your domain will secure ALL information (not just the sensitive information) while it is being sent to our server.
  • If you purchase the eCommerce module, we strongly recommend purchasing an SSL Certificate, which will secure all information (not just sensitive information). The security 'lock' will appear in main browsers for all pages, indicating a secure site to the consumer.