SSL Certificates Flashcards
Learn about SSL Certificates
What is a SSL certificate?
A SSL certificate is a digital certificate that provides authentication for a website.
What information does a SSL certificate contain?
SSL certificates contain the following data:
- Serial number
- Subject
- Signature algorithm
- Signature
- Issuer
- Valid from
- Valid to
- Key usage
- Public key
- Thumbprint algorithm
- Thumbprint/fingerprint
What is the serial number?
The serial number is used to identify the certificate
What is the subject?
The subject is the person or entity identified.
What is the signature algorithm
The signature algorithm is the algorithm used to create the signature, some common ones are:
- RSA
- Digital Signature Algorithm
- Elliptical Curve Cryptography
What is the signature
The signature is the actual signature to verify that it came from the issuer.
What is the issuer
The issuer is the actual entity that issued the certificate.
What is valid-from?
Valid from is the date that the certificate was issued.
What is vaild-to?
Valid-to is the date that the certificate will expire.
What is key-usage
Key usage is the purpose of the public key (e.g., encypherment, signature, certificate signing)
What is public key
Public key is the public key
What is the thumbprint algorithm?
The thumbprint algorithm is the algorithm used to hash the public key certificate, it is most likely SHA-1 or SHA-256.
What is the thumbprint/fingerprint?
The thumbprint is the hash itself, used as an abbreviated form of the public key certificate.
What are the 6 most important types of SSL certificate?
The 6 most important types of SSL certificates are:
- Extended validation certificates
- Organisation validated certificates
- Domain validated certificates
- Wildcard SSL certificates
- Multi-domain SSL certificates
- Unified communications certificates
What is an extended validation certificate?
An extended validation certificate is a certificate that verifies that the certificate holder has undergone the most extensive level of vetting and identity background checks to certify that their website is authentic and legitimate.
What is an organisation validation certificate?
An organisation validation certificate is a mid-tier high-assurance certificate, they are authenticated with 9 validation steps by certificate authorities.
What is a domain validation certificate?
A domain validation certificate is the most basic type of SSL certificate, it verifies that the applicant has control over the domain name associated with the website.
What is a wildcard SSL certificate?
A wildcard SSL certificate secures a main domain and all of its subdomains with a single certificate.
What is a multi-domain SSL certificate?
A multi-domain SSL certificate is a certificate that lets you secure multiple different domains with one certificate, not just subdomains.
What is a unified communications certificate?
A unified communications certificate is a special type of multi-domain certificate that was specifically built to make servers like emails and chatting secure across different domains.
