Secure Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME)
A standard for signing of MIME data. Designed to add security to e-mail messages in MIME format via authentication (using digital signatures) and privacy (using encryption).
SGC
SGC or Server-Gated Cryptography is a technology enabling a 128-bit encryption minimum on more than +99% web browsers. It is the most powerful SSL encryption commercially available today. Without an SGC certificate on the Web server, Web browsers and operating systems that do not support 128-bit strong encryption will receive only 40- or 56-bit encryption.
Single Root
A single root does not require to install an intermediate CA certificate on your server. This kind of certificate is very easy to install and is the only type some appliances will currently accept - but single root certs are being gradually phased out for chained-root SSL certificates.
SSL Accelerator
Normally the SSL handshake and subsequent encryption of data between a browser and the web server is handled by the web server itself. However, for some heavily trafficked sites, the amount of data being server over SSL means that the web server either becomes overloaded or it simply cannot handle the required number of SSL connections. For such sites a SSL accelerator can help improve the number of concurrent connections and speed of the SSL handshake. SSL accelerators offer the same support for SSL as web servers.
SSL Certificate
A file that attests the identity of an organisation or web browser user and is used to encrypt that data being exchanged over a network. As well as ensuring data is from the intended source, it also ensures integrity - data cannot be modified in transit either.
SSL Encryption
Encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing the matching key.
SSL Handshake
At the beginning of an SSL session, an SSL handshake is performed. This handshake produces the cryptographic parameters of the session.
SSL Port
A port is the "logical connection place" where a browser will connect to a web server. The https port or the SSL port is the port assigned to your web server for SSL traffic. The industry standard port to use for SSL is 443 - that is to say most networks and firewalls expect port 443 to be used for SSL. It is of course possible to use other SSL ports / https ports if required. The standard port used for non-secure (http) traffic is 80.
SSL Proxy
SSL Proxy allows non-SSL aware applications to be secured by SSL.
UC SSL
Another name for SAN SSL - UC SSL stands for Unified Communications SSL. See SAN above.
Whois Record
The Whois record shows domain ownership. The vetting team uses this to help justify (or reject) an application for an SSL certificate.
Wildcard SSL
A Wildcard SSL secures your website and an unlimited number of sub-domaines. A Wildcard gets the same validation processes as a single domain certificate and has the common name form of *.domain.com. Find out more about wildcard SSL.
X.509
The X.500 directory service standard relevant to public key infrastructures describing two authentication methods: simple authentication based on password usage and strong authentication based on public key cryptography. Version 3 added certificate extensions to the X.509 standard.
