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Site security starts with SSL/TLS. But just having a certificate isn’t enough – you need to implement it correctly. This article provides a detailed overview of SSL best practices that web administrators and developers should follow to maintain secure, reliable, and high-performing deployments.
1. Choosing the right Certification Authority (CA)
Choosing the right Certificate Authority (CA) is a critical first step in securing your site with SSL/TLS. A certificate is only as trustworthy as the CA that issues it, and choosing the wrong one can leave your site vulnerable or impact your brand's reputation.
Selecting a Trusted CA: Make sure the CA you mobile app development service choose has a proven track record of compliance with industry standards. All publicly trusted CAs are audited, but some are more trustworthy than others. Look for a CA that is regularly audited and has robust security.
Certificate Authority Authorization (CAA): Implement CAA DNS records to determine which CAs are allowed to issue certificates for your domain. This prevents unauthorized CAs from generating certificates, which will protect your site from misuse.
Minimize the number of CAs you use: To simplify certificate management and avoid confusion, limit the number of CAs that issue certificates for your organization. This will reduce complexity and help you ensure that you trust the root certificates used in your infrastructure.
2. Generating and protecting private keys
The SSL/TLS protocol uses public/private key pairs for encryption, and the private key must be kept secure at all times . Mishandling private keys can lead to serious security breaches, such as impersonation attacks.
Use strong private keys: Use at least a 2048-bit RSA key or a 256-bit ECDSA key. RSA is widely supported, but ECDSA provides better performance and stronger security with a shorter key length.
Generate private keys securely: Always generate private keys on a trusted, secure machine, preferably the one the certificate will be deployed on. Do not allow the CA to generate a private key for you, as this increases the risk of exposure.
Key rotation on renewal: Generate new private keys each time a certificate is renewed. Reusing old keys over time increases the risk of compromise.
Store keys securely: Use encryption and hardware security modules (HSMs) to store private keys. Limit access to keys to authorized personnel only.
3. SSL/TLS certificate configuration
Properly configuring SSL/TLS certificates is essential to avoid browser errors, maintain user trust, and ensure strong encryption.
Complete Certificate Chains: When deploying SSL/TLS certificates, ensure that all intermediate certificates are installed correctly along with your server certificate . Missing intermediate certificates may cause browsers to mistrust your site, resulting in warnings or errors.
Hostname Coverage: Make sure your certificate covers all variations of the domains your site uses, such as This will prevent invalid certificate errors that confuse users and weaken trust in your site.
Use SAN certificates for multiple domains: If your site serves multiple domains, use Subject Alternative Name (SAN) certificates . They allow you to secure multiple domains with a single certificate, reducing management overhead.
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