SSL Stats: Why is an SSL Certificate So Important for Your Website?

SSL certificates are no longer considered a necessity only for large companies. Every website, big or small across industries, needs SSL protection today. SSL stats will tell you how SSL adoption has become almost universal. 

As per SSL stats, 231 million SSL certs exist today. 95% of websites on Google use HTTPS.

Are you wondering why SSL adoption is growing? Want to know why you need an SSL certificate for your website? Keep reading to find out.

Key SSL Stats: Why Do You Need SSL Certificates for Your Website?

As of October 2022, over 231 million SSL certificates exist online. In February 2021, the number of SSL certificates on the internet was 157 million. That’s nearly a 50% increase! 

The US has over 32 million SSL certificates, the highest number globally. Germany is a distant second with 13+ million certs. The Union of Comoros has the lowest number of SSL certs globally. The entire country has just 21 certs. 

SSL adoption is growing because website owners realize why website security is important. Data breaches cost millions of dollars’ worth of losses to enterprises. Search engines actively flag and block insecure websites. And not having a proper SSL certificate is one of the top reasons for this. 

Website owners now understand the role SSL plays in data security. And they are increasingly deploying these certificates to protect their domains and subdomains. 

Now, let us delve into why you need an SSL certificate for your website. 

1. Secure Client-Server Connections

SSL certificates establish a secure connection between the server and the browser. Data transfers using this connection cannot be intercepted. So attackers cannot eavesdrop on business communications. 

• Encrypts Your Data in Transit

SSL certificates encrypt all your data in transit. The data becomes unreadable to any third party. This way, it upholds data security, integrity, and privacy. They help ensure that attackers don’t 

• Tamper with the data being transferred
• Steal any confidential information during transit

• Authenticates Your Website

You can get SSL certs only after proving your enterprise’s identity. This is except for DV SSL, where proving domain ownership is enough. So, SSL certs prevent brand impersonation. 

• Builds Customer Trust and Confidence

With the right SSL cert, you can prevent ‘Not Secure’ browser warnings on your site. SSL certs boost user trust and confidence. E-commerce sites with SSL certs enjoyed an 18-87% increase in conversions.

• Improves Search Engine Rankings

Search engines highly value website security. You will benefit from higher search rankings by following SSL security best practices. 

• It helps You Become Compliant

Most regulatory frameworks, like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, etc., mandate SSL use. So, you must deploy the latest versions of SSL certs and follow all SSL best practices. 

More SSL Stats That You Should Know

Types of SSL Used

80.5% of all SSL certificates are only domain-validated. 17.5% of all SSL certificates are Organizational Validation (OV) SSL. Only 2% are Enterprise Validation (EV) SSL.

This is a cause for concern. Why so? Domain Validation (DV) SSL certs are hot favorites for cybercriminals. DV SSL certificates are the easiest and cheapest to obtain. Attackers have to prove their ownership of the domain and nothing else. 

Using these certificates, attackers can establish the legitimacy of their fake websites. Using these spoofed websites, they can: 

• Steal sensitive data
• Steal credentials
• Steal money
• Get users to purchase contraband or fake products
• Spread malware
• Engage in identity theft
• Impersonate brands

74% of phishing sites use valid SSL certs. Usually, these are free SSL certs or DV SSL. The users get fooled by the padlock and static site seals. And they may end up doing the attacker’s bidding.

SSL stats suggest that 86% of phishers and scammers use SSL certs for their websites. They exploit loopholes in free certs to perform frauds. 

To avoid this, you must always choose OV or EV SSL for your site. 

SSL Stats on Best Practices

Despite the growing numbers, only 82% of websites have valid SSL certs. The remaining 18% are open to a range of security threats. This 18% accounts for millions of sites that aren’t encrypted.  

Nearly 60% of websites using SSL have inadequate security. Key reasons: 

• Misconfigurations
• Weak cipher suites
• Incomplete certificate chain
• Expired certificates

Poor certificate management is among the top concerns of CIOs and CISOs. The lack of visibility into certificates and keys is another major concern. 

Only 42.9% of websites use the latest SSL version – TLS 1.3. TLS 1.3 is faster and has more robust security features than previous versions. Yet, the adoption of this version is slow. 3.8% of sites still use deprecated versions such as TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1.

Conclusion 

These SSL stats underline the criticality of SSL certificates for your websites. Choose SSL certs from a trusted certificate authority (CA) for adequate protection. Make sure it offers 

• multi-layered security
• centralized visibility
• cohesive dashboard to manage certificates

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