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Startcom SSL
| Posted by Vudoo, 07-21-2010, 02:22 AM |
| So maybe I'm crazy or lost the ability to read, but how does a company offer free SSL? Case in point http://cert.startcom.org/ I've read over their FAQ a few times, yeah you have to do the evaluation period and such, but still seems like a good idea to me. Anybody know what the catch is with this? Or can anyone provide a link to an explanation about it?
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| Posted by fwaggle, 07-21-2010, 02:45 AM |
| They lack ubiquity in some older clients/OSes.. notably Windows XP - though it may have changed, StartSSL's CA certificate is up on Windows Update, but it's an optional update, so WinXP users will still get the familiar warning dialog. I think Firefox bundles their cert, so Firefox users will be okay, but apps that trust the Windows certificate store won't know who StartSSL are.
They're missing a few features that the average person probably doesn't need. They charge for things that require manual verification ("level 2 certification" etc).
I'm not entirely sure what their plan to profit is, but for the most part the certificates work OK. I'm sure there are other drawbacks I haven't run into yet.
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| Posted by Pr0jects, 07-21-2010, 02:58 AM |
| Yes, Jamie, Yes.. drawbacks like:
Revoke Certificate: pay
You also need to be level 2 to use certificates for sensitive information (rather than just proving you (server) are who you say you are)
Though that still does not stand up for what they offer (for free)
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| Posted by fwaggle, 07-21-2010, 02:45 PM |
| I didn't know they charged for that in certain, but I know they say they charge for anything that can't be automated... I'm assuming revoking a cert is one such thing.
Still though, I wouldn't advocate using one for say, your e-commerce site just yet. We only use them for places where it'd be nice to silence the SSL warning, but where it's not important enough to spend the money on a signed cert.
I guess it's a trade off, deciding whether saving $10-$70 now, at the prospect of having to spend more later on, is worth it.
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