{"id":1071,"date":"2020-08-03T22:26:03","date_gmt":"2020-08-03T22:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/page\/?p=1071"},"modified":"2025-07-11T13:31:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T13:31:17","slug":"what-to-know-about-an-ssl-certificate-for-your-mail-server","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/page\/what-to-know-about-an-ssl-certificate-for-your-mail-server\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Know About an SSL Certificate for Your Mail Server"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Not only do SSL certificates secure your website but you can use them to secure your mail server, too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When people hear the term SSL certificate<\/a>, they assume that it\u2019s related to website security. Well, they\u2019re not wrong. But what if we were to tell you that an SSL certificate is useful for your mail server as well? Many are not be aware that SSL\/TLS certificates to secure mail servers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A mail server certificate, also called an\nemail server certificate, encrypts email communications the same way SSL certificates\nsecure data transmission happening through a website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why is this extra security step necessary? Let\u2019s cover just a few of the top reasons for why you should use an SSL certificate<\/a> for your mail server:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is SSL In Mail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What is an SSL for email? Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a technology to secure the communication between a client and the server. An SSL for email ensures that the email is not intercepted during the transit and nobody except the intended recipient can access it. An email SSL certificate can also authenticate the identity of the sender. The SSL certificate in your email account serves two purposes \u2013 to authenticate the sender\u2019s identity and maintain the integrity of the email. The email certificates are also known as S\/MIME or email encryption certificates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email Security Is a Must These Days<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although many organizations have moved to messaging apps for internal communications, they still rely on emails for important communication \u2014 whether it\u2019s inside the organization or outside. In other words, information that\u2019s sensitive in nature is transmitted through emails. And that\u2019s where the cybercriminals come in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many cases of security failure, we\u2019ve seen email acting as their entry-point. According to a survey conducted by Barracuda<\/a>, it\u2019s been found that the majority (74%) of businesses say email-borne cyber attacks have a significant impact, and 78% said the cost of email breaches is increasing. This is undoubtedly a good enough reason to take your email security seriously, isn’t it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\/MIME Is Not Enough on Its Own<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now you might say, \u201cBut we already use S\/MIME certificates<\/a> (also known as email signing certificates) for encrypting emails, so we’re safe.” Well, not so much. It\u2019s great that you\u2019re using S\/MIME. But relying on S\/MIME alone can be an issue because S\/MIME certificates aren’t installed on a web server; they’re issued to an individual account. Therefore, they might be useful in encrypting an email and sending it to the intended recipient. Still, they’re not helpful if you want to encrypt the entire communication taking place through the email server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why You Need an SSL\/TLS Certificate for Your Mail Server<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you know what would happen if you don’t\nhave an SSL\/TLS certificate on your email server? Well, without SSL\/TLS,\nthere’s no way to verify that the email server that you’re trying to\ncommunicate with is the intended server or not. This could lead to an attacker\nspoofing a web server and extracting the communications in the process. Now,\nthis is quite a dangerous territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, wait, there\u2019s more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you haven’t encrypted your mail server,\nthe emails transmitting through your server are in plaintext form, and\nattackers could easily execute a man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attack and see or\ntamper with your data. This is a big deal and can lead to data breaches and a\nlitany of other security concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to mention that SSL certificate for\nyour mail server helps you to incorporate not only encryption but also identity\nchecks into your protocol. When you use SSL, you can securely log in to your\nmail server and avoid sending your login credentials across the internet in\nplaintext. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Webmail Certificate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can protect the integrity and confidentiality of your emails with a webmail certificate. The following steps will help you to secure your webmail:<\/p>\n\n\n\n