Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Importance Of Intermediate Certificates For Internet Security

In this article, we are going to discuss intermediate certificates installation and its importance for Internet security. Every time you install an intermediate SSL certificate, make sure it is installed properly because one missing link can trigger warning and visitors may abandon your website.  also, mobile browsing is very commonly used nowadays. Without properly installing intermediate SSL certificate, you are putting your site credentials as well as browser’s information at risk. Now before going further, let us first understand ‘what is intermediate SSL certificate?’

Intermediate SSL Certificate

It is a subordinate certificate, which is issued and signed by the trusted root certificate. It is signed specifically to issue end-entity server certificate. This results in a certificate chain, which begins at the trusted root Certificate Authority (issuer), through the intermediate. This certificate chain ends with the SSL certificate issued by the end-user. In simple words, proper SSL chain links certificate of an end-user to a root certificate.


 It is important to understand that root certificate do not sign every certificate. In such a situation, intermediate certificates come into play. Intermediate certificate falls in between the root certificate and the end-user SSL certificate. It is basically used to sign SSL certificate of end-user, which is used on a website and completes the digital SSL security chain.

Importance of Intermediate SSL Certificates

In case of missing intermediate SSL certificate, various browsers act differently. Whether you are accessing for mobile devices or desktops, every browser is designed to act differently in such cases. For example:

• Google Chrome will immediately go out and fetch a missing intermediate certificate.
• Firefox will look for any saved intermediate certificate from another website or previous session.
• Sometimes Firefox triggers security warnings, in case of missing intermediate certificates.
• While browsing over mobile devices, missing intermediate certificate generates a security warning. There can be cases where browsers have issues with improper installation of intermediate certificates.

For a secure and uninterrupted session, it is best to install an Intermediate SSL Certificate.

Testing Intermediate SSL Certificate after Installation

After successfully installing the SSL certificate, it is important to check whether it has been installed properly and is working as required. ‘WHY NO PADLOCK’ service can check it for you. It:

• Verifies validations of intermediate SSL certificate
• Verifies START and END DATES (checks whether the date is current and not expired)
• Verifies whether the certificate is signed by a valid CA
• Verifies the SSL chain (all the certificates including intermediate certificate are installed properly)
• Checks for allowed SSL Protocols

If you need more information regarding SSL Certificate. Give us a call on our toll-free number +1 (888) 606-7330 or write us on info@thesslstreet.com, our team of experts will be happy to assist you.

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