The IT Security Office offers no-cost SSL server certificates through the InCommon Digital Certificate service. The service is contracted through Comodo. 

What are the benefits of an SSL certificate?

• User privacy and data integrity: data is encrypted as it moves over the network. It cannot be easily intercepted or altered.
• Strong assurance of server authenticity: the certificate is signed by Comodo's certificate authority, which is one of a limited number of certificate authorities automatically trusted by major browsers.

When should I use an SSL certificate?

You should use an SSL certificate in any of the following cases.

• Services that require users to authenticate.
• Services that display or ask the user to provide any of the following types of data.
  • Protected by federal or state legislation (for example: medical histories, personal financial data, student visa status, social security numbers)
  • Sensitive or confidential (for example: University budgets, physical security infrastructure documents, vendor contracts)
• When the ability to confirm the authenticity of the server is a requirement. For example, in a limited development environment a self-signed certificate may be acceptable. The corresponding production service, however, may require the assurance of a certificate signed by a globally-recognized certificate authority.

What types of certificates are available?

• InCommon SSL: Single domain certificate.
• InCommon Multi-Domain: Secures up to 100 different domain names on a single certificate.
• InCommon Code Signing: Certificate-based digital signature used to sign executables and scripts in order to verify the author's identity. Ensure the code hasn't been changed or corrupted after signing by author.
• InCommon WildCard SSL: Secures the domain and unlimited sub-domains of that domain.

All certificates are available with a one-year term.

For more details about each certificate type, see the Types of Certificates page.

Request a Certificate 

Use the SSL Certificate Request Form for:

• Single domain certificates
• Multiple domain certificates

For the other certificate types, contact the IT Service Desk.