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Frequently Asked Questions
SSL
Q: Why do I need a certificate and why can't I just generate one for myself?
A: Very briefly, a certificate consists of your public key, an expiration date, documentation binding it to your organization, and the digital signature of its issuer, which should be a recognized Certifying Authority (CA). If you were to generate your own, there would be no way to distinguish it from a counterfeit certificate intended to spoof one of yours.
Q: What is a Digital ID?
A: Digital IDs provide a trusted means of authenticating the identity of each party in an electronic transaction. VeriSign's Digital IDs are used much the same way as conventional forms of identification, such as a driver's license or passport, to provide irrefutable evidence of the owner's identity and, in some cases, authority in a given transaction.
Digital IDs, also known as Digital certificates, bind an identity to a pair of electronic keys that can be used for encrypting and signing digital information. A Digital ID makes it possible to verify someone's claim that they have the right to use a given key, helping to prevent people from using phony keys to impersonate other users. Used in conjunction with encryption, Digital IDs provide a more complete security solution, assuring the identity of all parties involved in a transaction.
Q: How does VeriSign justify the cost of its Digital IDs?
A: The issuing of Digital IDs (digital certificates) involves proper credentialing of subscribers, managing the certificate revocations services, maintaining policies, and securely managing the CA facility its employees and private keys, comprise the primary services of VeriSign, Inc. Like any other business, VeriSign must maintain the facilities and resources to carry out its functions, which include product research and development, marketing, customer relations, and working with its industry partners to promote the development of secure information systems.
Q: I have more than one account on Graphic Traffic. Do I need more than one Digital ID?
A: Yes. Each account name must have a seperate certificate on Graphic Traffic. Only full domain web accounts are eligible to become a secure server.
Q: What can I do to speed up the certificate process?
A: Make sure that the organization registered to the domain is the organization requesting the Digital ID
Use a credit card
Provide your DUNS number
Provide alternative organizational information
Q: Graphic Traffic says my Secure Server Digital ID has been installed. Now, how do I change my existing Web site to make the transactions secure?
A: Once you have a Secure Server Digital ID and your users log into your web site using SSL, (https://.. instead of http://..) all http (web) traffic will be secure. That includes all GET/POST operations that are submitted to CGI programs. If you have explicit URLs (for example, "http://www.mysite.com/newpage.html") in your CGI programs or on web pages, make sure that they say "https" instead of "http". Also note that relative links (for example, /newpage.html) from secure pages will remain secure, and from insecure pages will remain insecure.
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