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Pros and Cons of Securing Your Web Servers with a Wildcard Certificate

Guest post by: Kalpesh Patel

Article Overview: Wildcard certificates are often more cost-effective than standard SSL certificates while providing security across an entire Web site rather than just the main domain or one of its subdomains. However, they are not without their disadvantages.

Pros and Cons of Securing Your Web Servers with a Wildcard Certificate

Before discussing the wildcard SSL Certificate model specifically, it is important to understand something about the Internet domain. Each domain may be divided into an unlimited number of subdomains. On eBay, for instance, examples of subdomains include motors[DOT]eBay[DOT]com and community[DOT]eBay[DOT]com. For almost all purposes, these subdomains can be treated as completely separate from the parent domain name. This specificity applies to SSL certificates. This can cause problems for a buyer of a security certificate. Using a regular SSL certificate, a single domain or subdomain is protected, while possibly leaving portions of the site unsecured.

For example, A different SSL certificate must be obtained. This can add significant costs and complexity to managing the site's security. However, there are ways you can save time and money. Using SSL Wildcard certificates, you can ensure that an infinite number of sub domains are secured. Wildcard certificates are becoming more common and affordable. There are, however, advantages and disadvantages to consider.

Strengths: You get to use a single certificate for each domain and all of its subdomains using a wildcard certificate. Provided that you want to secure enough subdomains, the Wildcard will prove less expensive. Furthermore, if you opt to use individual (non-Wildcard) standard certificates, and you are using a management interface to deploy twenty individual certificates, this may be a daunting task. When it comes time to update them, please remember that you must do everything over again. Wildcard certificates can make renewal and reimplementation quick and easy.

Weaknesses: If you use a single certificate on one server, and the server is hacked, all the subdomains have then been breached. Regarding compatibility, some mobile operating systems, such as Windows Mobile 5, cannot operate properly with Wildcard SSL because using a wildcard certificate character (*) is not recognized. Some vendors provide the Subject Alternative Name (SAN) certificate to allow for specific inclusion of multiple domains and subdomains. This allows for better compatibility with mobile devices.

Author's Bio:-

Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, theSSLstore has helped companies and organizations of every size around the globe secure their e-commerce and Internet communications since its founding in 2007. A leader in Internet security solutions, offers affordable Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates, 24/7 support, and sophisticated e-commerce products that are easy-to-use. TheSSLstore has provided SSL certificate for multinational companies and top universities throughout the world, allowing them to encrypt communications and commerce over the Internet and to increase trust and transactions. Among the Internet security solutions TheSSLstore offers are SSL certificates from VeriSign, Thawte, GeoTrust, and RapidSSL as well as PCI Compliance from Trustwave's TrustKeeper.

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Article Tags: GeoTrust Wildcard, GeoTrust Wildcard SSL Certificate, RapidSSL Wildcard, RapidSSL Wildcard SSL Certificate, Thawte Wildcard, Thawte Wildcard SSL Certificate, Wildcard Certificate, Wildcard SSL, Wildcard SSL Certificate



Related Forum Posts
secure my connection - I agree with Link's second post. Security is a personal sticky issue and possibly not the first service you should introduce yourself at the door. I'd suggest also the Back to School "In-Home" Computer tuneup (it's such a pain to take your computer in for servicing) and promise that they would see a smoother and faster computer. You can hand them a 2 page report on the benefits of having a computer tuneup -> this is critical. After you are gone this is the only piece of information that they will have to begin trusting you and want to have you in their home. You can sneak at the bottom of the report the benefits of having a wireless connection and the importance of Securing it. finish off the report with two dotted rounded rectangle boxes beside each other. One has a free Computer tune up assessment and the other a free wireless network security test. If they take you up on either you can test for the other. You now have two sources of possible income.
Securing Financing - This is a short article that a friend of mine put together. He's a business banker and it seems that he would be the right person to put the info together. He compiled it for inclusion in a book about opening a pizza shop. There could be some useful info here - In order for a bank to even consider financing for a business loan such as a pizza restaurant, the first step is to have good personal credit. If you have previous credit issues that have lowered your credit scores, make sure you are prepared to either hear, “No”, or “Please explain this (these) credit marks.” If you have not demonstrated the ability to manage your own personal finances then most likely you will not have the opportunity to manage the financing from a bank for a business. When you make the initial contact with a bank, ask to speak to a commercial loan officer. Other types of loan officers include consumer (think car loans) and mortgage (think home purchases and home equity loans). The commercial loan officer will be able to provide a list of things you will need to give him/her in order to consider the restaurant financing. Information required for a new business most likely will include the following: Personal financial statement (Assets – Liabilities = Net Worth) Personal tax returns (two years) Business Plan If leasing property, copy of the lease agreement If purchasing property, copy of the sales contract Personal History / Resume (may not be required but is very helpful) If an existing business, add the following to the list above: Business tax returns (two years) Copy of State Corporation Commission Certificate Copy of Federal Tax Identification Number or Employer Identification Number (EIN) Copy of Articles of Incorporation (if corporation) Copy of Operating Agreement (if partnership) One common mistake a new business owner often makes with regard to financing is that one loan will cover all the financing needs. This is typically not the case and can lead to cash flow problems that could result in default on the loan, which is not what the lender or borrower want. In most cases, either two or sometimes three separate loans would be appropriate. For instance, if one is purchasing real estate then a long-term mortgage loan would be appropriate to finance that purchase. However, the pizza restaurant may need to purchase equipment and have cash available monthly to meet payroll and purchase rolling inventory. An equipment loan could take the form of a five or seven year loan with a fixed monthly payment much like a car loan. A line of credit, on which one would pay interest monthly on the outstanding balance, may be prudent for short-term cash flow purposes. All three should be addressed in the business plan and discussed with the commercial loan officer. Chris


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