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InstantSSL - General Frequently Asked Questions
What is SSL?
Secure Sockets Layer, SSL, is the standard security technology for creating
an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures
that all data passed between the web server and browser remain private
and integral. SSL is an industry standard and is used by millions of websites
in the protection of their online transactions with their customers. In
order to be able to generate an SSL link, a web server requires an SSL
Certificate. InstantSSL is such a Certificate, and when installed, can
be used to create secure links to protect transactions, passwords, personal
details, etc.
How can I test InstantSSL?
Click
here to view a test page secured by InstantSSL.
Why does an InstantSSL Certificate
cost considerably less than other Certification Authorities?
InstantSSL has direct access to the IdAuthority,
the largest commercial directory on the web. InstantSSL
can therefore expediate the validation of an application.
This efficient and highly effective validation method
ensures we can issue a Certificate at a greatly reduced
cost as reflected through our guaranteed lowest price
in the industry as well as maintain a level of validation
far superior to the methods employed by other SSL providers.
In particular, the validation process employed to issue
an InstantSSL, InstantSSL Pro or PremiumSSL Certificate
is considerably more than just a domain name ownership
check - we firmly believe this method alone to be insufficient
to maintain the level of integrity in SSL that consumers
have come to expect.
If you would like to compare our pricing to other providers,
please read the CA
Comparison Chart.
Will
InstantSSL Certificates work correctly with my customer's browsers?
In order for your customer's browser to seamlessly use
an InstantSSL Certificate, they must trust our 'Root
Certificate'. Our Root (provided by Baltimore
Technologies) is trusted by over 99.3% of all current
browsers, comprising all Internet Explorer 5.00 and
above, Netscape 4x and above and AOL 5 and above and
comes pre-installed with all Windows 98SE, Windows ME,
Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems. This
browser compatibility makes InstantSSL as trusted as
Verisign and Thawte.
What
is the difference between an InstantSSL, InstantSSL Pro and PremiumSSL
Certificate available through instantssl.com?
We have outlined all the key differences in table format for your convenience
- just click here to view.
In summary, InstantSSL Certificates are designed to secure intranets and
transactions below $50. Our InstantSSL Pro and PremiumSSL Certificates
are designed to secure all web servers. Whilst technically the three flavours
of certificate are identical, due to the nature of how we intend the $49
InstantSSL Certificates to be used, they carry a reduced warranty ($50
maximum warranty). This reduced warranty enable us to further reduce the
cost of the certificate to you. However, InstantSSL Pro Certificates carry
a warranty of $2500 and PremiumSSL Certificates carry a greatly increased
warranty of $10,000 for your total peace of mind and also include a free
TrustLogo worth $119 and unlimited US toll free technical support.
What does the
Warranty actually mean?
We believe it is important to protect the end user. If we were to mis-issue
a certificate to a fraudulent site, and that fraudulent site has an SSL
link with an end user and as a result of this the end user loses money.
The end user had what they thought was a "trusted session".
sslca should never have provided the fraudster with the ability to engineer
this situation. Hence, we have taken out insurance to pay out money to
the end user. How can we do this?
1. We value the end customer
2. We believe the insurance provided greater peace of mind hence allows
the merchant to sell more products
3. Most importantly, we value our validation techniques (delivered through
www.idauthority.com)
We pre-validate customers and provide validation that is far higher than
the majority of other SSL providers. Some CA's have very weak validation
hence they decide NOT to offer insurance! Finally, it is worth pointing
out, that we offer high validation, but not at the compromise of speed.
You can still obtain SSL instantly.
I want an increased
Warranty on my InstantSSL Certificate - how can I get this?
If you require an increased warranty on your SSL Certificate, choose from
the InstantSSL Pro or PremiumSSL Certificates option. This provides a
greatly increased warranty of $2500 and $10,000 respectively.
How long does it take
to process my application?
Provided we have sufficient validation information available through the
IdAuthority (as described in our CPS), your InstantSSL, InstantSSL Pro
or PremiumSSL can be issued in only minutes. If additional verification
processes must be used to validate your application, the issuance process
may take slightly longer. In such cases we guarantee that the Certificate
is issued within 2 working days. Please contact
us directly to expedite your Order should it be urgent.
Do you only accept payment
in US$?
No, whilst we do display all prices in US$, we accept payment in in US$,
UK£ and Euros - a conversion is performed at point of payment. We
also accept all major credit cards and debit cards as well as PayPal for
special cases. Please contact us
for specific details.
Why am I asked about VAT?
sslca, the organisation behind InstantSSL, is a UK Company. We must therefore
determine if we are to charge VAT (Value Added Tax) on the advertised
price of the sale. Only UK companies and EU companies without a valid
VAT number will be charged VAT. If you are outside of the EU be sure to
choose "Outside EU" in the VAT options in the application pages
to avoid being charged VAT.
Under what circumstances
would you get 'Invalid VAT number details?
A value is entered in the VAT number field, but 'Non-EU is selected.
Which
versions of the SSL protocol is InstantSSL compatible with?
InstantSSL is compatible with any browsers and webservers using SSL version
3 - the de facto SSL implementation. SSL version 1 and version 2 have
been superseded by version 3 for a number of years, mainly due to the
inherent security flaws found in these old versions. All web browsers
developed after Internet Explorer 3 and Netscape 3 use SSL version 3 (however
still support older SSL protocol versions). If your webserver is only
capable of supporting versions 1 and 2 of the SSL protocol we strongly
recommend you contact your webserver software vendor for an update - these
protocols are flawed. For more details on why SSL version 2 is no longer
used can be found here:
http://www.eucybervote.org/Reports/MSI-WP2-D7V1-V1.0-02.htm
Do sslca SSL certificates
only support 128 bit encryption?
No, they support the key size as determined by the web server or browser,
if the web server or browser can only negotiate 40 or 56bit then this
is session that is established
What is strong encryption?
This is another term for 128 bit encryption. All InstantSSL certificates
are strong encryption.
What is SGC?
SGC is Server Gated Cryptography. This does have the ability to up rate
a weak browser to a stronger (128bit) browser without the need to upgrade.
It was introduced at a time that the US encryption export laws were stringent.
SGC Certificates rely on the webserver software being able to handle SGC.
sslca does not at this time issue SGC certificates.
I am not a company,
can I apply for a Certificate?
Yes, anyone wishing to provide a confidential and secure link between
server and customer's browser can apply for a certificate
When I generate a CSR what
do I put in the Common Name field?
The Common Name field contains the domain or server name. Do not include
http:// or https:// before the name or any subfolders indicated by the
/ after the domain name
I ordered
my certificate but chose the wrong type of web server, do I need to re-apply?
The web server details are for our records and support purposes only.
The certificates are the same format irrelevant of the web server chosen.
How can I
learn the status of my application?
Contact support at support@sslca.com with your order
number and a member of the team will be happy to update
you
I have made a mistake
in my application
If you have already submitted your application please
contact support@sslca.com quoting your Order Number
and details of the mistake. In some cases you may need
to submit a replacement CSR.
Can I apply for
a certificate for each sub-domain of the main domain?
Yes, but it can be simpler and more cost effective to
open an account as an Enterprise Public Key Infrastructure
Manager (EPKI Manager). For more information please
contact sales@sslca.com
It may also be more cost effective to use a Wildcard
certificate which protects all sub-domains below the
primary named domain. For more information please contact
sales@sslca.com
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