What Are Self Signed Certificates and Why You Need Them For Your Industrial Edge
In the realm of internet security, digital (SSL) certificates play a crucial role in establishing trust and secure connections. Among these certificates, self-signed certificates hold a unique position. In this blog post, we will delve into the world of self-signed certificates, exploring how they differ from regular certificates, when are they beneficial and the process of creating them.
What is an SSL Certificate?
When you visit a website using HTTPS, a digital certificate is used to verify the identity of the website and establish an encrypted connection with it. A certificate is essentially a small file, containing a public key, identity information about the website or organization, and a digital signature from a trusted Certification Authority (CA). This certificate ensures a secure and authenticated connection. You can read more about SSL communication here https://aboutssl.org/ssl-guide/.
The Role of Certification Authorities (CAs):
CAs are organizations trusted (by web browsers and operating systems) to issue digital certificates. They verify the identity of the certificate applicant through a series of validation procedures, ensuring that the certificate holder is the legitimate owner of the domain or entity. Some well-known CAs include Let's Encrypt, DCert, and GlobalSign. When a certificate from a recognized CA is installed on a website, web browsers automatically trust it.
When a user requires an SSL certificate they create a “Certificate Signing Request” (CSR) that is issued to the Certification Authority (CA). The CA verifies the request, creates the certificate, signs it using the CA’s own certificate and issues it to the user. The issued certificate is used to verify the signing CA by any client accessing the website/server where the certificate has been deployed. If the signing CA is registered by the client as a trusted CA the client knows that the accessed service is authentic. You can read more about the SSL/TLS certificates here: https://www.thesslstore.com/blog/ssltls-certificate-its-architecture-process-interactions/
Regular Certificates vs Self-Signed Certificates:
While regular certificates are issued by CAs, self-signed certificates are generated by the entity themselves, without any third-party verification. This means that self-signed certificates are not backed by the guarantee of a trusted CA. When a visitor encounters a self-signed certificate, the browser warns that the certificate is not trusted. The self created CA certificate can be added to the browser/operating system to register the CA as a trusted source.
To create self signed certificates the user first create a certificate for the CA which is subsequently used to sign the certificates for self hosted servers/services.
Why Self-Signed Certificates:
When it comes to services running on the company domain, there can be specific scenarios where using self-signed certificates is justified and even beneficial. Let's explore the benefits for utilizing self-signed certificates in such situations:
Cost-Efficiency: Obtaining certificates from trusted Certification Authorities (CAs) can be costly, especially when you have multiple services running on your domain. Self-signed certificates offer a cost-effective alternative, as they can be generated and installed without any additional financial burden.
Internal-Use Applications: If your services are strictly for internal use within the company, there may be no need for a third-party CA-signed certificate. In these cases, self-signed certificates can provide the necessary level of encryption and security without having to go through the hassle and expense of obtaining CA-signed certificates.
Full Control and Flexibility: By using self-signed certificates, you maintain full control over the certificate generation process. You can customize the certificates to your specific needs, including choosing the key length, encryption algorithm, and certificate properties, providing flexibility to match your unique requirements.
Internal Trust: While self-signed certificates are not trusted by default (by web browsers), within your company's infrastructure, you can manually install and trust these certificates on the internal systems. This allows for a secure connection between various services running on the company domain, maintaining confidentiality and integrity.
Security Compliance: Certain industries may have stringent security requirements. Utilizing self-signed certificates, along with additional security measures, can help meet these compliance regulations while maintaining control over sensitive data and ensuring encryption.
All these reason make self signed certificates ideal for industrial edge applications, where the identity of the service is known to the consumers but data encryption and security is still required.
Now that you know what self signed certificates are and where/when to use them check out our blog post which details how to create self signed certificates for you Industrial Edge Device or Industrial Edge Management Server.
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