How To Get A Free Ssl Certificate
Taking advantage of HostGator’s Free SSL is easy.
- The Free SSL certificate will automatically be available to every domain and subdomain for new and existing cPanel platform customers.
- Enable is the process of activating the SSL certificate.
- Enforcing is the process of forcing the website traffic from HTTP to HTTPS using 301 redirects.
- The Free SSL lasts for 90 days from issuance and renews automatically at no cost to you, so your site hosted with HostGator should never be without an SSL.
- New customers will be able to add or opt-out of the Free SSL upon account sign-up.
Note:
Redirect From Http To Https On Godaddy
On GoDaddy, the redirection from http to HTTPS is easily achieved by adding a bit of code into .htaccess file.
We will tell our Apache-based webserver to change all URLs with http:// to https://. Sound complicate but it isnt. Just stick with it
This happens before any code of your site is run.
Always redirect from HTTP to https:
Hot Tip! If you cant see .htaccess file it might be hidden. Here is how to unhide .htacess file.
RewriteEngine On RewriteRule ^$ https://%%
4. Test that this worked by typing http://mydomain.com it should change to https://mydomain.com You are done!
Remember to update the SSL certificate every 90 days, you can just set a reminder in the google calendar and it takes me about 10 minutes to renew the SSL certificate.
Since your site is secure now, why not speed it up, so its lightning-fast
According to Google, if your site loads longer than 3 seconds on mobile, 53% of the users will abandon the site. So make sure your website loads fast!
In this tutorial, Ill show you how to improve your PageSpeed score, so it goes from red to green! By using the W3 Total Cache Plugin and reSmush.it image optimization plugin.
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Use A Domain Transfer Lock
A domain transfer or registry lock ensures no one can transfer your domain name to another registrar, either accidentally or deliberately. How does it work? At your request, a registrar can put a transfer lock in place so that any requests to transfer to another domain registrar get automatically rejected. Depending on your registrars options, this locks your domain name to that registrar and protects your name against domain hijackers. Normally, registrars allow you to transfer to another account if they also use the same company. But check with your registrar first for policy and procedure specifics.
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Who Needs A Domain Name
Everyone, every business, every entity that aims to build a brand online needs a domain name. A domain name is the best way to have a truly unique identity on the web and stand out effectively from the massive crowd. An example of a domain name is web4africa.ng in this case, the Nigerian website address of the web hosting company Web4Africa.
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Why Is It Dangerous To Run Plex Over An Unencrypted Connection
By using an unencrypted connection, your traffic is vulnerable to a Man-in-the-Middle attack. This means an attacker can snoop on your network traffic, inject unwanted code into your traffic, and even intercept usernames and passwords.
The situation is exacerbated by security vulnerabilities in Plex. These are regularly patched by the Plex security team and their details divulged to the internet at large. Unfortunately, not all Plex users keep their Plex software up-to-date, and some users may not have updated in years. Server versions older than 1.18.2, for instance, have vulnerabilities through which an attacker can take over your entire host system.
Criminals and other interested parties have access to open source tools, such as Robert David Graham’s MASSCAN, which can scan the whole internet in five minutes. This makes it easy to identify IP addresses where port 32400 is open.
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Why Does Cloudflare Offer Free Ssl Certificates
Cloudflare is able to offer SSL for free because of its globally distributed , with highly efficient proxy servers running in data centers all around the world. The Cloudflare mission is to help make the Internet more secure, and widespread adoption of HTTPS is a huge step towards achieving this. SSL/TLS encryption protects user data, prevents attacks, and makes the Internet a safer place overall.
Sales
Protect Your Customers Experience On Your Website
Browsing the web has its risks, but it doesnt have to when users visit your site. With an SSL certificate from a reputable company, your website can safely and securely handle data transfers between your customers and your business. With a visible lock icon in the search bar, your site visitors know they can trust your business. In the end, this creates a better user experience, increases your websites ranking in search results, and ultimately helps your business operate to industry security standards.
This blog post was originally published May 2020 and was updated for comprehensiveness.
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Register Your Domain Name For 10 Years
Always register your domain for the longest amount of time available usually up to ten years. If you forget to renew your domain name, you run the risk of losing it to someone else – a missed domain name renewal can lead to all kinds of trouble. Avoid shorter registration periods at all costs. Turn on auto-renew. And dont ignore those renewal reminder emails that we send.
Acquiring A Tls Certificate
TLS certificates are provided for free for all domains that are added to Shopify. A TLS certificate is issued automatically in the following circumstances:
- For any assets that are hosted on the .myshopify.com domain.
- When you buy a custom domain through Shopify or transfer a domain to Shopify.
- When you connect your third-party domain to Shopify by changing your A record and CNAME record to point to Shopify. In this case, it might take up to 48 hours for the TLS certificate to be issued. During that time, an SSL Unavailable error might be displayed in your Shopify admin. A security error might also be displayed in your browser when customers visit your online store. If your store still displays a security error after more than 48 hours, then contact Shopify Support.
You can make sure that your TLS certificate has been issued by verifying that the status of the domain is Connected on the Domains page. In addition, the padlock icon is displayed beside your online store’s URL in the address bar when you view your storefront.
Note
You can’t use third-party SSL certificates with your Shopify store. TLS certificates are provided for free on Shopify.
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Why Domain Security Matters
Cybercrime is always on the rise. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, global cybercrime costs are expected to reach $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. As technologies evolve, hackers and criminals also update their methods which is why domain security is so important.
Online security threats include:
- Phishing attacks you receive an email from a hacker posing as your registrar, clicking on a link where you proceed to enter personal data.
- Pharming attacks also known as domain hijacking, pharming is where your website traffic is redirected to somewhere else, with the aim of stealing your sensitive data.
You can learn more about how domain names are hijacked in our article, Domain phishing, and other security attacks.
How To Identify A Secure Site
Websites cant hide their security status. In fact, most browsers will alert you to a sites security status in the URL bar.
How do you know if a site isnt secure?
If you use Chrome, youll see an alert that looks like this:
If you click on the information icon, youll get the following message:
What will you see on a site that has SSL enabled?
On Chrome, youll see a little padlock icon to indicate a secure site.
If you click on the padlock icon, youll receive the following message:
Alternately, you can look to the websites full URL in the browsers address bar to find out whether or not it uses SSL.
- Not secure websites: URLs will start with HTTP://
- Secure websites: URLs start with HTTPS://, where the S stands for secure.
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How Ssl Certificates Work
SSL certificates can be a bit complicated to understand with all the technical jargon and acronyms. To give you a simple but accurate overview of how SSL certificates work, lets imagine our friend Michelle is visiting her favorite website, hubspot.com.
Verification
Initially, Michelle opens her laptop and types hubspot.com into her web browser, Google Chrome. While Google Chrome is loading the site, Michelles computer receives HubSpots SSL certificate through a public key and verifies it with the certificate authority.
Handshake
Michelles computer and HubSpots server come to an agreement that everything looks legitimate, and the two computers form a connection which is called a handshake.
Encryption
From here, Michelles computer and the hubspot.com server decide on the type of encryption theyll use to securely transmit data back and forth. What makes this connection secure is the coding and decoding of information while it is in transit between the computer and the server. The timeframe where security attacks are prone to happen is when the data is moving from one place to the next, so scrambling the information in an encrypted language, or private key, keeps everything secure until it gets where it needs to be.
Authentication
Once the data is decrypted by Michelles computer by the private key, a lock icon appears next to the websites name in the browsers search bar.
Why A Website Needs An Ssl
You may ask yourself why people are getting SSL for their websites and what does it do for them? Here are some of the reasons why SSL is considered important, especially for e-commerce websites.
- If your website requires someone to enter their personal information, credit card, or login credentials, you will want to secure your website.
- With the SSL enabled, it will encrypt the data sent across the internet. This encryption prevents the man-in-the-middle attacks used by hackers to steal your customers’ information while in transit.
- Adding SSL to your website lets your visitors know that you are serious about your customer and site’s security.
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How To Register Your Websites Domain Name
The first domain name in history was Symbolics.com, which was registered on March 15, 1985. Today, there are more than 300 million domain names, with millions more added each year. A domain name is essentially the address that visitors will type into their browser address bar to arrive at your website.
Domain names allow users to easily connect to other computer IP addresses by typing in an address like âGoogle.comâ instead of Googleâs numerical IP address of â74.125.239.116.â In other words, domain names make our lives a lot easier.
Your domain name is an important part of establishing your brand. No two domain names can be exactly alike, although they can be similar. Ideally, your domain name will be unique and distinctive, so users donât confuse it with other domain names or different businesses.
You might be wondering isnât a domain name, then, simply a website? Although they are similar, domain names and websites have important differences. Your domain name is the address for your website it is what people use to find your website, which consists of pages, images, and other files.
Choosing and registering a domain name is often the first step when building a website. Read on to learn how to register a domain name.
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# Certificate Service Types
Netlify offers two different ways of providing a certificate for HTTPS.
Netlify-managed certificates are offered to all Netlify sites for free. Find details for this in the section on Netlify-managed certificates.
Custom certificates are a way for you to provide a certificate that matches your specifications things like a wildcard certificate or an Extended Validation certificate. If youd like to provide your own custom certificate, refer to Custom certificates below for more details.
For all certificate service types, Netlify enables HTTPS for only Netlify-hosted content. If you use Netlify to host content on an apex domain and other hosts for content on subdomains, Netlify cannot enable HTTPS for the subdomains with externally-hosted content.
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How To Use A Raspberry Pi To Protect Your Plex Server
The first thing to do is visit your registrar’s Advanced DNS settings page. Delete all records and create a new A record. Set the host to “@”, the value to your public IP address, and the TTL as low as possible.
Now, log into your router’s admin panel. Open ports 80 and 443, and forward both to the local IP address of your Raspberry P i Zero. Close port 32400.
After you have installed Raspberry Pi OS, use secure shell to log into your Raspberry Pi.
ssh pi@your.pi.local.ip
Update and upgrade any installed packages:
sudo apt update
Save and exit nano with Ctrl + O then Ctrl + X.
Enable the configuration and restart Apache:
sudoa2ensiteplex.conf
Run certbot to grab SSL certificates and keys from Let’s Encrypt:
sudo certbot
Enter your email address when requested, and agree to the terms and conditions, then select your domain name from a list of one, and hit return.
Certbot will fetch and deploy security certificates and keys from Let’s Encrypt again. Restart Apache once more.
Log out of your Raspberry Pi Zero:
exit
Password Creation And Rotation
Our survey showed that 73% of our responders are not required to update their registrar account regularly. This was not limited to Namecheap, but other registrars were also included. 10.8% said they didnt know that this requirement was needed, and 6.5% are required to do this for some of their domains. Only 9.7% rotate their password on a regular basis.
You need to take password security seriously we suggest that if you havent changed your password in a while, do so now, and consider enabling two-factor authentication .
It is recommended that passwords be rotated at least every three to six months when a security breach occurs, if you believe your device may have been compromised, and if there is evidence of unauthorized access to your account.
Try How secure is my password? to find out how strong your password is. It tells you how long it would take a computer to crack your password!
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Ssl Certificates Keep Your Site Completely Secure
Installing an SSL certificate does not mean your site is hackproof. It simply enhances the security of the data exchanged.
Thus, its still necessary to observe basic account and password precautions. Also, make sure that your website is updated and free from malware.
Using an SSL certificate and implementing these measures will significantly increase the security of your website and its visitors.
Rest Easy Knowing Youre Secure With Ssl
The importance of having SSL on your website is only going to increase.
Google is without a doubt the most popular search engine, and they arent pulling any punches when it comes to making the Internet a safer place for all of us.
If you dont have SSL you risk having your site pushed down in search engine results and losing your site visitors trust. Get SSL today, and turn your site into a trusted resource.
Natalie Brownell
Domain.com Marketing Manager. She believes in the power of words and loves a good story. She resides in MA and spends her days behind the keyboard with her two feline coworkers. Connect with her on .
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Check Name Servers Critical To Your Domain Are Locked
Make sure any name servers for your domain that depend on a second level domain are locked at the registry level, if the service is provided. Critical name servers are at higher risk of being compromised and hijacked if they are not locked.
Example: The Domain Name Administrator is responsible for the domain name example.gov.uk.This domain name uses the name server ns1.example.net. The administrator must make sure example.net is locked at the registry level.
Instruct your registrar to implement domain server lock at the registry level.
You should consider transferring registrar if you experience any ongoing issues with your provider. Follow our guidance on how to choose a good registrar.
Keep Whois Records Updated
The domain registrant is the person or entity registering a specific domain name from the domain registrar .
All registrars certified by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers , including GoDaddy, list public domain name registration information on the Whois database. The Whois listing includes registrant and other domain name contact information.
Its vital to keep the Whois record updated and accurately reflecting you or your company as the owner in the Registrant field.
That way if you ever have an issue getting into your account, or getting to your domain, you can prove you own the domain by providing the correct documents to show you are indeed the registrant.
If you need to update your Whois information, it is easy to do.
If youre a GoDaddy customer, heres how you can share access to your products but not to your main account.
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