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Viewing articles tagged 'sslcertificateshttps'

"Not Secure" in the Address Bar The browser is telling visitors the page is not encrypted.TWO DIFFERENT SITUATIONSThe page loaded... "Your Connection Is Not Private" Explained The general warning browsers show when a certificate check fails.WHAT IT MEANSOne of the three... An Annual SSL Review Fifteen minutes once a year.CHECK WHAT IS INSTALLEDcPanel > SSL/TLS Status. Every domain,... AutoSSL and Cloudflare The most common cause of AutoSSL failing on an otherwise working site.WHY IT CONFLICTSWhen a... AutoSSL for Addon Domains and Aliases Every domain on the account can have its own certificate.ADDON DOMAINSTreated as independent... AutoSSL for Subdomains Subdomains need certificates too, and they are not automatic until they exist.HOW IT WORKSAutoSSL... AutoSSL Notification Emails cPanel tells you when something needs attention.WHAT YOU MAY RECEIVENotice that AutoSSL could not... AutoSSL Versus Manually Installed Certificates Two ways a certificate gets onto your account.AUTOSSLIssued, installed and renewed automatically.... CAA Records: Controlling Who Can Issue Certificates A DNS record limiting which authorities may issue for your domain.WHAT IT DOESA CAA record names... Certificate Authorities and Why Browsers Trust Them Certificates mean something only because of who issued them.WHAT A CERTIFICATE AUTHORITY ISAn... Certificate Chains and Intermediate Certificates Why a certificate sometimes works in one place and not another.HOW THE CHAIN WORKSYour... Certificate Errors After Changing Hosting A predictable consequence of a migration if a step is missed.WHY IT HAPPENSThe certificate lived... Certificate Errors Appearing Suddenly on a Working Site Nothing changed, and now every visitor sees a warning.THE MOST LIKELY CAUSEThe certificate... Certificate Errors in Mail Clients Your website is fine but Outlook or your phone warns when connecting.WHAT IT MEANSYou connected... Certificate Errors in One Browser Only When the problem follows a specific browser.WHAT IT USUALLY MEANSThe certificate is fine and... Certificate Errors on a Subdomain Only The main site is fine; one subdomain warns.WHYThe certificate covers the domain and www but not... Certificate Errors on Mobile Only The site works on a computer and warns on a phone.THE USUAL CAUSEA missing intermediate... Certificate Transparency and Public Logs Every certificate issued is published.WHAT IT ISCertificate authorities submit every certificate... Certificate Types: DV, OV and EV Three validation levels, differing in what the issuer checked before issuing.DOMAIN VALIDATEDThe... Checking Certificate Status in cPanel Where to see what is actually installed.THE MAIN VIEWcPanel > SSL/TLS Status lists every... Choosing Between www and Non-www Both should work; one should be canonical.WHY IT MATTERSSearch engines may treat them as two... Cloudflare Origin Certificates A certificate issued by Cloudflare for the connection between Cloudflare and your server.WHAT IT... Cloudflare SSL Modes Explained Four settings, and choosing wrongly breaks the site.OFFNo encryption between visitor and... Cloudflare Universal SSL and What It Covers The certificate Cloudflare presents to visitors.WHAT IT ISA certificate Cloudflare issues... Common SSL Myths Advice that was true once, or never."SSL REQUIRES A DEDICATED IP"Obsolete. SNI made this untrue... Diagnosing Redirect Loops The browser reports too many redirects and the page never loads.THE CAUSETwo or more things are... DNS Validation Versus HTTP Validation Two ways to prove you control a domain.HTTP VALIDATIONThe authority asks you to place a file at a... ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR The secure connection could not be established at all.WHAT IT MEANSThe handshake failed before... ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS The browser gave up after being redirected in a circle.THE CAUSETwo or more redirect mechanisms... Excluding a Domain from AutoSSL Occasionally you do not want a certificate issued.WHEN THIS APPLIESA domain parked and not in use... Finding Mixed Content on Your Site Locating exactly what is insecure.THE BROWSER CONSOLEOpen the page, press F12, and read the... Fixing Mixed Content in Other Applications The principle is the same; the tools differ.THE APPROACHBack up the database.Identify where URLs... Fixing Mixed Content in WordPress The standard procedure.TAKE A BACKUP FIRSTA database search and replace cannot be undone.THE... Free Versus Paid Certificates The most common question, and the answer is less dramatic than vendors suggest.WHAT IS... FTP and SFTP Encryption Transferring files securely.PLAIN FTPSends your username and password unencrypted. Anyone on the... Generating a Certificate Signing Request The first step in obtaining a purchased certificate.WHAT A CSR ISA block of text containing your... Getting Help with an SSL Problem What to include so a ticket is resolved quickly.CHECK FIRSTcPanel > SSL/TLS Status, and click... How AutoSSL Renewal Works Renewal is automatic and requires nothing from you.THE PROCESSAutoSSL checks certificates on a... How HTTPS Works in Plain Terms A simplified account of what happens when a visitor loads a secure page.THE SEQUENCEThe browser... HSTS: Telling Browsers to Always Use HTTPS A header that eliminates the insecure first request.WHAT IT DOESHTTP Strict Transport Security... HTTPS and Canonical URLs Telling search engines which version is authoritative.WHAT A CANONICAL TAG DOESDeclares the... HTTPS and SEO What search engines actually do with it.WHAT IS TRUESearch engines prefer secure sites. HTTPS is... HTTPS and Third-Party Embeds Content from other sites must also be secure.WHAT THIS AFFECTSEmbedded videos Maps Social media... HTTPS for Sites Using a Page Builder or Custom Theme Where mixed content hides in places a search and replace misses.WHERE TO LOOKTheme customiser... HTTPS for Staging and Development Sites Test environments need certificates too.WHYIf staging runs on http while production runs on... HTTPS Requirements for Payments and Compliance Where it stops being optional.PAYMENT PROCESSINGEvery reputable payment gateway requires https on... HTTPS, HTTP/2 and Site Speed Secure sites can be faster, not slower.THE OLD CONCERNEncryption adds processing overhead, so... Installing a Purchased Certificate Getting a certificate from an authority onto your account.WHAT YOU RECEIVEThe certificate itself... Issuing Certificates When a Domain Is Behind a Proxy Getting AutoSSL to work with Cloudflare in place.THE PROBLEMAutoSSL validates by retrieving a... Migrating to HTTPS Without Losing Rankings The procedure that preserves search position.BEFORETake a full backup Note your current rankings... Mixed Content After a Site Migration A common post-migration symptom.WHY IT HAPPENSThe database was copied from a site running on a... Mixed Content from External Resources When the insecure resource is not yours.THE SITUATIONThe console names a URL on another domain:... Mixed Content in CSS and JavaScript Files Harder to find because the URL is inside a file rather than in the database.HOW IT HAPPENSA... Monitoring Certificate Expiry Knowing before your visitors do.WHY IT MATTERSAn expired certificate blocks every visitor with a... Multi-Domain and SAN Certificates One certificate covering several different domains.WHAT IT ISA certificate listing multiple... NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID The browser does not trust whoever issued the certificate.WHAT IT MEANSThe certificate was not... NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID The certificate does not cover the hostname being visited.WHAT IT MEANSThe browser asked for one... NET::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID The certificate is expired, or not yet valid.WHAT IT MEANSThe current date falls outside the... Ordering an Extended Validation Certificate The most rigorous and slowest option.WHAT IT INVOLVESVerification to a defined industry standard:... Ordering an Organisation Validated Certificate What the process involves.WHAT HAPPENSAfter submitting the CSR, the authority verifies your... Planning an HTTPS Rollout for a Large Site When a site has thousands of pages and real traffic.BEFORETake a full backup and verify it Record... Preventing Mixed Content in New Content Stopping it happening again.WHERE IT COMES FROMSomeone pasting an image URL copied from an http... Public and Private Keys Explained Simply The mechanism underneath certificates.THE PAIRA certificate involves two related keys. The public... Reading a Certificate in Your Browser Checking what is actually being served.HOW TO VIEW ITClick the padlock in the address bar, then... Redirect Chains and Why They Slow Your Site Each redirect costs a round trip.WHAT A CHAIN LOOKS LIKEhttp://yourdomain.com to... Renewing a Purchased Certificate The annual task AutoSSL removes.THE PROCESSThe authority notifies you before expiry, assuming the... Revoking and Reissuing a Certificate When a certificate must be invalidated.WHEN TO REVOKEThe private key has been exposed A... Running AutoSSL Manually When you need a certificate now rather than at the next scheduled run.THE STEPSConfirm the domain... Securing an API or Application Endpoint Certificates for things other than web pages.WHY IT MATTERSAn API accepting credentials or... Security Headers Alongside HTTPS HTTPS is the foundation; headers build on it.THE USEFUL ONESStrict-Transport-Security: forces... Single Domain, Wildcard and Multi-Domain Certificates Certificates differ in how many names they cover.SINGLE DOMAINCovers one hostname, and... SNI and Why Shared IPs Work with SSL The technology that made dedicated IPs unnecessary for SSL.THE OLD PROBLEMA server presents its... SSL and Dedicated IP Addresses Addressing a persistent misconception.THE OLD POSITIONBefore SNI, a server could present only one... SSL Checklist After a Migration Certificates need attention whenever a site moves.IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MOVEConfirm the domain... SSL Checklist for a New Website Before a site goes live.THE CERTIFICATEDomain resolves to our server AutoSSL run, with a padlock... SSL Configuration Grades and What They Mean Online testing tools award a grade. Interpreting it sensibly.WHAT IS GRADEDSupported protocol... SSL for Email Clients Certificates matter for mail as well as the website.WHAT SECURES MAILConnections between your... SSL for Webmail and cPanel Access The control panel connections are secured too.WEBMAILReached at yourdomain.com/webmail once the... SSL_ERROR_NO_CYPHER_OVERLAP and Similar Browser and server share no acceptable encryption method.WHAT IT MEANSThe client offered a set of... Testing Your HTTPS Configuration Confirming everything works before you stop thinking about it.THE BROWSER CHECKSVisit all four... The .well-known Path and Why It Must Stay Accessible The path AutoSSL uses to prove domain control.WHAT HAPPENSAutoSSL places a file under... TLS Versions and Which Are Supported Not all versions of the protocol are safe.THE VERSIONSTLS 1.0 and 1.1: obsolete and disabled by... Troubleshooting HTTPS on WordPress Specifically The common WordPress-specific issues.SITE ADDRESS MISMATCHSettings > General must show https... Understanding Certificate Pinning An advanced technique with real risks.WHAT IT ISConfiguring a client to accept only a specific... Updating Hardcoded HTTP Links in Content Old content keeps pointing at insecure URLs.WHERE THEY HIDEImage src attributes in posts and... Updating Your Site URL After Enabling HTTPS The application must agree with the server.WHY IT MATTERSApplications generate links and... Using Content-Security-Policy to Upgrade Requests A header that can mitigate mixed content.WHAT IT DOESAdding upgrade-insecure-requests to a... Using Online SSL Checkers Independent verification of your configuration.WHAT THEY REPORTWhether the certificate is valid... Verifying Mixed Content Is Fully Resolved Confirming the job is done.CHECK SEVERAL PAGE TYPESHomepage A blog post with images, ideally an... What AutoSSL Is and How It Works The free certificate system built into cPanel.WHAT IT DOESIssues certificates for every domain... What Mixed Content Is A secure page loading insecure resources.WHAT HAPPENSThe page itself arrives over https, but... What SSL and TLS Actually Are SSL and TLS are the protocols that encrypt traffic between a browser and a server.THE NAMESSSL... What the Padlock Does and Does Not Mean A widely misunderstood symbol.WHAT IT MEANSThe connection between your browser and that server is... What to Do When Your Certificate Expires An expired certificate blocks every visitor.IMMEDIATE ACTIONcPanel > SSL/TLS Status. Confirm... When You Actually Need a Paid Certificate Rarely, and for specific reasons.LEGITIMATE REASONSA partner, regulator or payment processor... Why AutoSSL Failed: The Common Causes Work through these in order.1. THE DOMAIN DOES NOT RESOLVE HEREAutoSSL validates by retrieving a... Why Cloudflare Flexible Mode Breaks Sites The single most common Cloudflare misconfiguration.WHAT HAPPENSFlexible tells Cloudflare to fetch... Wildcard Certificates Explained Covering all subdomains with one certificate.WHAT IT COVERS*.yourdomain.com covers any... Writing Correct .htaccess Redirect Rules Where manual control is needed.THE BASIC HTTPS REDIRECTRewriteEngine On RewriteCond %{HTTPS}...
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