What is an Extended Validation SSL certificate?
Every SSL certificate facilitates the same encryption, what differentiates them is functionality and validation level. Extended Validation is the highest validation level, requiring an organization to undergo an in-depth vetting before issuance. The payoff for opting for a Sectigo Extended Validation SSL is that your website will get special treatment from web browsers. Specifically, they will display your organization’s name prominently in the address bar. Additionally, anyone that views your SSL certificate will see extensive verified organizational details. The first step toward any online business relationship is proving you’re bona fide – that you are indeed who you say you are. An Extended Validation SSL certificate is one of the fastest, most direct ways to accomplish that.
The EV Name Badge
A standard DV certificate will display in most browsers like the image on the left, while an EV SSL certificate will give your website an expanded display like the image on the right:
A DV SSL certificate requires only server authentication, so the browsers present the site neutrally because it’s not asserting identity.
Extended Validation SSL certificates contain verified organizational details, which assert identity. The browsers present that information.
Sectigo digitally signs every certificate it issues. This is how the browsers know that a website has been validated. With basic SSL the server is authenticated, but the browsers know nothing about the identity of the site itself. Because Sectigo has put your organization through extensive vetting, it can confidently sign an SSL certificate that includes your organization’s verified details. And because the browsers trust Sectigo to validate properly, they will give your website special treatment that reflects the identity your certificate has asserted.
The EV Name Badge Across the Browsers
While the concept behind all browsers is the same, their design elements vary wildly. Here’s what the EV Name Badge looks like across the major browsers:
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Google Chrome
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Mozilla Firefox
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Apple Safari
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Microsoft Edge
Asserting your identity has never been more important
There are 1.4 million phishing websites created every month. And While EV SSL cannot stop criminals from spoofing your website, it can give you a way to prove to your customers that your site is the legitimate article. You can’t fake an EV Name Badge. And as long as your customers know to look for it, they won’t be fooled by imitations.
Some Industries should only use EV
There are some sectors of our economy where asserting identity isn’t just recommended—it’s critical. Government websites from the smallest city councils on up to national entities should have an EV Name Bar. These are some of those most targeted websites and institutions in the world, they are high value targets. They are spoofed constantly. They make ideal watering holes. The more identity information these sites can provide, the safer the people who use them will be.
Other industries that would most benefit from the EV Name Badge:
- Healthcare
- Financial
- Insurance
- Education
- Politics
How Extensive is Extended Validation?
Extended Validation sounds worse than it is in reality. Really, all Sectigo needs to do is verify that you are a real business or organization. This is typically a seven point process: an enrollment form, five validation checks and a final confirmation call.
- Enrollment Form – Sectigo uses this to establish an organizational contact and verify they are authorized to request the certificate.
- Organization Authentication - Sectigo verifies that your business is a legally registered entity operating in good faith.
- Operational Existence - Sectigo verifies that your company is actually operational at the moment.
- Physical Address - Sectigo verifies that your business has an established physical presence in the country or state it's registered in.
- Telephone Verification - Sectigo verifies that your business has a phone number that is publicly listed and working.
- Domain Authentication - Sectigo verifies that your business is the rightful owner of the registered domain.
- Verification Call - Finally, Sectigo calls the organizational contact to verify all the details.
This typically takes a few business days, but can be expedited in some cases. If you need your order issued ASAP, please contact us using the live chat feature and we will help you expedite issuance.
Don’t forget about the encryption
All Sectigo SSL certificates meet or exceed industry standards. Certificates are either underpinned by the ubiquitous RSA cryptosystem, or elliptic curve based cryptographic options are also available. These certificates facilitated AES symmetric encryption up to 256-bits. It would take a supercomputer thousands of years to crack your encryption, and 4 quadrillion years to guess the private key.
EV SSL FAQ
Q. Isn’t EV SSL cost-prohibitive?
A. Not with Sectigo. Yes, some CAs overcharge for EV—but not here. With EV starting as low as [insert] businesses of all sizes can now reap the benefits of EV.
Q. What’s the difference between OV and EV?
A. While both of these certificates offer business authentication, only EV SSL gets special browser treatment. The browsers don’t feel as Organization Validation is strong enough to confidently assert identity, so it receives the standard neutral treatment.
Q. Is the EV Name Badge really worth it?
A. Yes. There is no better mechanism for an organization to assert its identity. The EV name badge isn’t just your company trying to prove it is who it says it is, this is the user’s own web browser telling them who you are. And users trust their browsers.
