The Kinds of Attacks that SSL can Prevent

Websites have become a valuable means for businesses to enhance their audience outreach. They are using the website in multiple ways to inform the audience about their product and services offerings. It is also becoming the best way to bring in quality leads for the business. The website also stores a vast amount of information about the customers and the target market.

The hackers are lured by the amount of information present in the servers and launch attacks to get the information. An increase in data breaches across industries has made businesses take note. As a result, cybersecurity practices are being beefed up, and SSL certificates are used to prevent these attacks. We will discuss in this article how installing an SSL prevents various attacks against your website.

What is an SSL certificate?

When you visit any secure website, you must have seen the padlock on the address bar. The secure HTTPS websites have installed the SSL certificate that helps to secure the data transmitted on the webserver. It creates a secure communication channel between the web server and the visitor’s browser. Advanced encryption technologies allow for securing the communication and ensures that the desired recipient can only read the messages.

There are several types of SSL certificates depending on the kind of validation chosen and the number of web assets to be secured. Most websites with multiple first-level sub-domains can use the Wildcard SSL certificate. However, it can only secure the primary domain and the first-level sub-domains. The certificate can also ensure the authentication of the website as a renowned third party has validated it.

The certificate is issued by a renowned Certificate Authority (CA), which undertakes varied levels of validation as chosen by the company. Most of the CAs have a wide array of certificates from which you can choose. In case of unlimited subdomains security, you can go with affordable or cheap wildcard SSL. You will get the same level of encryption strength with low priced SSL certificate.

SSL Helps to Prevent Several Cyberattacks

Man-in-the-Middle attacks

These attacks occur when a hacker manages to intercept the communication channel established between two parties. They can use it to gain information that is exchanged or even modify the traffic that is exchanged. These attacks can also be used to get hold of the sensitive information in the web server or cause sabotage of the data.

These attacks can take place if the user is interacting with a non-HTTPS website. Hence, it is suggested that you install a digital certificate that will encrypt the communication channel and prevent these attacks. Therefore, always keep in mind to secure the SSL keys.

Phishing attacks

Phishing attacks are a common means that hackers use to target specific personnel in the company. It happens when the hacker impersonates the website of a renowned brand and uses a link to lure the user to visit the fraudulent website. They will have a form where they will trick you into entering your personal information. The information can then be used to gain access to the business’ networks too.

The digital certificate can prevent this from happening as it will be provided only after the CA checks the domain ownership. All users must check the address bar and look for the padlock. They must proceed only after seeing this sign as it ensures that the website they are visiting is secure. It is also necessary that businesses train their employees periodically on how to avoid such attacks. Moreover, emails from unknown email IDs must be blocked too.

Session Hijacking

Session hijacking is a method that hackers use to access the user session by secretly getting hold of the session ID. The hacker can then look like the actual user who is authorized for the session. The hacker can have access to the network and use it for their own needs. It can also lead the hacker to the server without having to authenticate the communication session. If the session is active, they can have access to the server.

The attacker can use a sniffer or a proxy to capture the network traffic containing a session ID. Once they get the session ID, they can use it to gain access to the server. The attacker can infect the user’s terminal with a Trojan, and the malware can modify transaction information. The hacker can also use cross-site scripting to make the browser execute any arbitrary code while loading a compromised page.

The digital certificate can prevent this attack as it encrypts the communication being exchanged. Hence the hackers do not have access to the keys necessary to get hold of the messages. Users must also check if there are any certificate warnings or stay away from a public wi-fi system. You must not download free software, too, as it can hijack the data and make the systems vulnerable to attacks.

Points to Remember

Knowing about Strict SSL

The Strict SSL provides an additional security layer to any website as it also validates the originating server. The web browser checks the authentication of the SSL certificate and ensures that it is valid. IF any problem exists, the user will be flagged, and the user may leave the website right there.

The HSTS Preload List

Businesses must add their domain name on the HSTS Preload List, a global list used by several search engines. The list has the hostnames for which the browsers must enforce HTTPS automatically. It can prevent any insecure HTTP connections later.

Conclusion

Businesses must move to a secure platform to mitigate the risks of any data breach. They must install an SSL certificate that can prevent any cyberattack. The digital certificate can ensure a secure channel of communication with the webserver. It is also necessary to know about the attacks that these certificates can prevent. We have discussed some of them in this article.