Check Website SSL Certificate

Check Website’s SSL Certificate Information

The lock symbol in the browser bar can identify a secured website. Different browsers display this information in different ways. It is important to be aware of the advantages of an SSL certificate for a website.

Users who do not pay attention when the lock sign is displayed in their browsers can cause unexpected circumstances. Users who enter data to websites that are not secured by SSL certificates can be vulnerable to phishing attacks or MITM attacks. Website owners should be aware of the dangers of not securing their websites.

You can also read How to Protect Yourself from MITM Attacks

Many websites forget to renew SSL certificates, leading to man-in-the-middle attacks. Recently, the Microsoft team confirmed that the website was down for several hours due to an expired SSL Certificate. During that time, people tried to log in, but they didn’t know that it wasn’t secure.

In this spirit, I will show you what to do to ensure that your website is secure. CAB forum made it mandatory that website users see certificate information. An SSL certificate that has been successfully deployed shows relevant information about the URL and the company.

What does SSL Certificate Information contain?

  • Validity Period
  • Name of the Certificate Authority (CA), Issued
  • Subject Name (which contains information about the company and type of SSL Certificate. It also includes domain names for SSL certificates.
  • Useful Key Words
  • CRL Information
  • The Encryption’s Signing and Hashing Algorithms.

You can find this information in your browser. This information’s importance may differ from one person to another. It is a good practice to verify the certificate information before you submit any data to a website.

How to verify SSL Certificate Information.

Here are the steps for checking SSL Certificate information in different browsers. Depending on your browser, some sections might be different. The steps are based on the browser version.

Chrome browser (Version – 0.79)

1) Click the padlock at the URL Bar. A dropdown will open. Click on the Valid under the Certificate section.

2) The Certificate window will have three tabs: General, Details, and Certificate Path. The General tab includes information about the validity of certificates, domain names, and Certificate Authority issued names. The Details Tab includes all information regarding SSL such as key size, hashing info, and domains for which certificates are issued. The Certificate Path tab displays the path of the certificate, including root, intermediate, and certificate.

Mobile Chrome – (Version – .79)

1) Click on the padlock icon. A pop-up window will appear.

2) Click on the Details button to open a window that will contain the name of Certificate Authority, cipher, and protocol details.

Click on the Certificate information. You will find all details about the certificate, including common name, organization name, and validity period. Domain name expires on this page.

Internet Explorer (Version – 11 )

1) Click on padlock (top right-hand side) to open a click dropdown that will display details about the certificate.