Python Requests - SSL Certificate Verification

An SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is a type of digital certificate that is used to authenticate a website identity and enables an encrypted connection. It is a security protocol that helps in creating an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser.

Companies and organizations need to add an SSL certificate to secure online transactions and keep customers' information private and secure.

SSL keeps internet connections secure and prevents criminal activity by reading and modifying information transferred between two systems.

Working of SSL certificate:

SSL works by confirming whether or not any data that is transferred between users and websites remains impossible to read. Encryption algorithms are used to gather the data in transit, which prevents hackers from reading the data as it is sent over the connection. The data contains sensitive information such as names, addresses, credit card numbers or other financial information.

The working of the SSL certificate is as follows:

1. A server tries to connect to a website with SSL.
2. The web browser or server requests that the web server identifies.
3. A server copy of its SSL certificate is sent by the browser in response.
4. The server checks whether the SSL certificate is trusted or not. If it is trusted, it signals to the webserver.
5. A digitally signed acknowledgement is returned by the webserver to start an SSL-encrypted session.
6. The data that is encrypted is shared between the browser and the server.

Organization Validated certificates (OV SSL)

It is a version of the Secure Socket Layer Certificate that has a similar assurance level to the Extended Validation SSL certificate; a complete substantial validation process is needed by the website owner. The information of the website owners is also displayed by this type of certificate in the address bar to differentiate it from malicious sites. Organization SSL certificates are the second most expensive, and the primary use of this certificate is to encrypt the sensitive information of the user during transactions. Commercial or public-facing websites must have an OV SSL certificate installed to confirm that any customer information shared remains secured.

Domain Validated Certificates (DV SSL)

A low assurance and minimal encryption is provided by the Domain Validation SSL certificates as the validation process is used to provide a minimal SSL certificate type. This type of certificate is used for blogs or informational websites - i.e., which do not contain a collection of data or online transactions. This type of SSL certificate is obtained quickly and is the least expensive. Website owners validate this type of certificate by responding to an email or phone call. The address bar of the browsers shows only HTTPS and a padlock with no business name is displayed.

Wildcard SSL certificates:

This type of certificate enables the securing of a base domain and unlimited sub-domains on a single certificate. If there are multiple subdomains to be secured, then a Wildcard SSL certificate can be used as it is less expensive than purchasing individual SSL certificates for each of the subdomains. The asterisk * is a common name in Wildcard SSL certificates, where the asterisk shows any valid subdomains that contain the same base domain. Consider an example, a single wildcard certificate for *website that can be used to secure.

1. Payments.youdomain.com
2. Login.yourdomain.com
3. Main.yourdomain.com
4. Download.yourdomain.com
5. Anything.yourdomain.com

Multi-Domain SSL Certificate (MDC)

A multi-domain certificate is used to secure many domains and sub-domain names. This consists of a combination of completely unique domains and sub-domains with different top-level domains.

Examples:

1. www.example.com
2. Myexample.org
3. mail.myexample.net
4. myexample.anything.com.au
5. checkout.example.com
6. secure.example.org

By default, sub-domains are not supported by the multi-domain certificates.

If there is a need to secure many sites with one multi-domain certificate, then both hostnames should be specified when obtaining the certificate.

Unified Communications Certificate (UCC)

UCC are also included in Multi-Domain SSL certificates. UCCs were built to secure Microsoft Exchange and live communications servers. Nowadays, these certificates are used by many website owners to secure multiple domain names on a single certificate. These certificates are validated organizationally and display a padlock on a browser.

It is very important to be familiar with each type of SSL certificate to get the right type of certificate for your website.

How to Get an SSL Certificate?

SSL certificates can be taken directly from a Certificate Authority (CA). Millions of SSL certificates are issued by certification authorities each year. The SSL certificate ranges from free to hundreds of dollars, depending on the level of security you need. Once it is decided on the type of certificate that is needed, then it can look for certificate issuers that offer SSLs at the level you require.

Here are the following steps that are used to obtain the SSL certificate:

1. Set up a server and confirm a WHOIS record is updated and matches what is submitted to the Certificate Authority.
2. Make a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) on the server. This is an action your hosting company can assist with.
3. Validate your domain and company details by submitting them to the certificate authority.
4. Install the certificate they provide once the process is complete.

Once it is taken, then it is to configure the certificate on the web host or on your own servers if the website is hosted itself.

Can an SSL Certificate be Used on Multiple Servers?

An SSL certificate can be used for multiple domains on the same server if possible. It depends on the vendor; SSL can also be used on multiple servers. The reason is the Multi-Domain SSL certificates.

Multiple domains have Multi-Domain SSL certificates. Multi-domain SSL certificates are also known as SAN certificates (Subject Alternative Name). Each multi-domain certificate has SANs, which can be used to list additional domains that are covered under one certificate.

What Happens When an SSL Certificate Expires?

SSL certificates expire that gives as the facto regulatory body for the SSL certificates by the certificate authority or browser form. The time limit for SSL certificates is no more than 27 months. This means that two years or can be carried over up to three months if the previous SSL certificate is renewed. The reason for the expiration of SSL certificates is that any form of authentication information needs to be periodically re-validated to check the accuracy of the SSL certificates. As companies and websites are brought in, the relevant information for SSL certificates also changes. The goal of the expiry period of the SSL certificates is to confirm that the information used to authenticate servers and organizations is as up-to-date and accurate as possible.

Earlier, SSL certificates were issued for a period of 5 years, which is reduced to three, and now it is reduced to two years and some potential extra three months. In 2020, Google, Apple, and Mozilla announced that they would enforce one-year SSL certificates.

When the SSL certificate expires, the site becomes unreachable. When a user tries to open the website, the SSL certificate is checked in milliseconds and is a part of the SSL handshake. If the SSL certificate is expired, the user will get a message to effect, and the message is this site is not secure and open at your own risk.

If a site has no SSL certificate, then it is advisable not to open the website as it can contain malware. This will impact bounce rates for website owners, and users can go back to the homepage and somewhere else.

The SSL certificate becomes invalid if the certificate is allowed to expire and the website is no longer able to run a secure transaction on the website. The CA will allow the renewal of the SSL certificate before the date of expiration.

How To Know If A Site Has An SSL Certificate?

The easy way to see if a site has an SSL certificate of no by just looking at the address bar in the web browser:

1. If the URL starts with HTTPs instead of HTTP, then it means that the site is secure and uses an SSL certificate.
2. The sites that are secured consists a padlock emblem, which can be clicked to see the security details of the website, the website that is most trustworthy consists of a green padlocks or address bars.
3. Warnings signs are also displayed by the browsers if the connection is not secure, for example, a red padlock or a padlock that is not closed.

How To Confirm That The Online Session Is Safe?

By submitting the personal data and online payment details of the websites with EV or OV certificates. DV certificates are not enough for eCommerce websites. It can be told that if a site has an EV or OV certificate by looking at the address bar.

Requesting SSL certificate verification:

Code:

Output:

<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head>

<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-BMVLE5WY82"></script>
<script>
  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
  gtag('js', new Date());

  gtag('config', 'G-BMVLE5WY82');
</script>
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Explanation:

In the above code, the request module is imported, and the url is input to verify the certificate; in the get function provided by the get method, an option is passed as verify, which is a Boolean value, and if this value is set to true, then the certificate is verified and if is set to false then verification is done.