HOSTING CLIENT NOTICE

This is a Notice to all those hosting their website on the ClipCube Media hosting and their associates

As of October, it is now confirmed that all websites that do not have a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate (like a certificate of authentication/trust) for their website will be penalised by Google via the following:

Ranking – you will find your present search ranking drops for key words. That means that any ranking you have built will dramatically decrease eg. If yo are on page 1 on a specific search, you could drop to page 5.
Secure warning – When people access your website via Chrome, they will receive a “Not Secure” warning. This is especially the case when someone completes a form on your website.
Website performance –implementing a SSL certificate will speed up your website.
Presently sites without an SSL certificate the address bar in your browser will display in the standard language of http. Hence you see http://www.domainname.com. After the certificate is in place you will see https://www.domainname.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNanTvQ6PMs

Why has Google done this?

With so many phishing (sites pretending to be you or someone else) websites and emails out there, by insisting in people apply a SSL certificate for their website, they can take some measure to secure the Internet again the growing cyber threat.

What if I do not want to add an SSL certificate?

That is not problem. Your site will still be available, just the elements above will affect your website.

Can I set it up myself?

Yes you can if you have the knowledge, or we can buy and install on your hosting for you.

Requirements

Fixed IP address. Without this we cannot set up the SSL correctly (no SNI) and user of the below browsers will receive the warning message and discontinue to the site:

Desktop Browsers

Internet Explorer 7 and later on Windows Vista and later. Internet Explorer (any version) on Windows XP does not support SNI.
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and later.
Opera 8.0 (2005) and later. TLS 1.1 protocol must be enabled.
Google Chrome: Supported on Windows Vista and later. ...
Safari 2.1 and later.

Presently ClipCube media has set up all hosting accounts with a basic SSL certiticate, but if you want to a different type of certificate (eg company name - like with a bank, showing the padlock sign, or other) please see below and then contact us via our contact form.

It is recommended that you buy 2-3 years coverage, though 1 year purchases are also available. We will keep a record of the renewal date alongside your hosting information and domain name registration renewal, so all is under one umbrella.

If you have other domains or subdomains you need covered that are not hosted on our server, please let me know.

We will need your cooperation with validation to your email address.

What type of SSL certificates are available and what is their associated cost/benefit?

There are three types of SSL Certificate available today; Extended Validation (EV SSL), Organization Validated (OV SSL) and Domain Validated (DV SSL). The encryption levels are the same for each certificate, what differs is the vetting and verification processes needed to obtain the certificate and the look and feel of in the browser address bar.

Just to add a little confusion, some of my customers have subdomains (websites off the main website). In this case you will need a wild card SSL which also covers your subdomain.

Extended Validation (EV SSL) Certificates

With an EV SSL, 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. All the steps required for a CA before issuing a certificate are specified here including:

verifying the legal, physical and operational existence of the entity,
verifying that the identity of the entity matches official records,
verifying that the entity has exclusive right to use the domain specified in the EV SSL Certificate,
and verifying that the entity has properly authorized the issuance of the EV SSL Certificate.

The latest, and possibly most significant, advancement in SSL technology since its initial inception follows the standardized Extended Validation guidelines. New high security browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 7+, Opera 9.5+, Firefox 3+, Google Chrome, Apple Safari 3.2+ and iPhone Safari 3.0+ identify Extended SSL Certificates and activate the browser interface security enhancements, such as the green bar or green font. For customers who wish to assert the highest levels of authenticity, this is the ideal solution.

EV SSL Certificates are available for all types of businesses, including government entities and both incorporated and unincorporated businesses. A second set of guidelines, the EV Audit Guidelines, specify the criteria under which a CA needs to be successfully audited before issuing EV SSL Certificates. The audits are repeated yearly to ensure the integrity of the issuance process.Example of EV SSL Certificate

Organization Validated (OV SSL) Certificates

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. Organization name also appears in the certificate under the ON field.

Domain Validated (DV SSL) Certificates

The 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. While you can be sure that your information is encrypted, you cannot be sure who is truly at the receiving end of that information.

DVSSL Certificates are fully supported and share the same browser recognition with OV SSL, but come with the advantage of being issued almost immediately and without the need to submit company paperwork. This makes DV SSL ideal for businesses needing a low cost SSL quickly and without the effort of submitting company documents.