Self-Signed Certificates: Beware, Free Can Very Costly.

A6H8PY7Y496C All things being equal, free is my favorite price range!

The caveat I would add is that things are almost never equal when we talk about free.

It might be tempting to use free “self-signed” certificates to implement SSL on your web site, unless you fully understand what you are not getting with it. We all know about what happens when we are penny wise!

When a user connects to an SSL site a message is sent with the certificate information required to setup a secured connection. It must include the name of the certificate "signer" which is either:
the creator of the certificate (self-signed) or
a third party called a Certificate Authority.

There are scams where hackers trick users into thinking they are connected to one site and they are actually communicating with another. This is a so called “man in the middle” scam where a hacker gets in between the communication between a browser and a web site.

Self-signed certificates leave your users vulnerable to these predators. It adds about as much value as “co-signing” a loan to yourself! It does nothing to avoid users providing personal and financial information to criminals engaged in fraud.

A Certificate Authority (CA) provides assurances to the browser that the site it intends to connect to is in fact that site. Only with a CA-signed certificate does the browser know that the key it receives to encrypt messages is from the actual owner of the site.

Because of this, most browsers will display a warning message that a site with an unsigned certificate may be a danger. The user can bypass the message, but it does not leave the user with a warm and fuzzy feeling about the site.
And the warning message is correct. If your web site has been hacked by a scammer your users are in peril if they proceed.

Let’s be crystal clear about this.
You NEVER want to use a self-signed certificate on a public internet site.

If you need secured communication for a “customer facing” web site, such as an e-Commerce site. You would be exposing your customers and your business reputation to unwarranted risk. Every time your customers visit your site their browser will remind them that you are not a trustworthy operation.

Free could turn out to be very costly, indeed!

So what about internal intranet sites? Do self-signed certificates ever make sense?
Yes, but you also need to be cautious before using them on intranet sites.

More and more employees are accessing intranet sites remotely though the internet, from outside the company firewall. That may create opportunities for the hackers if you do not use a signed certificate.

Furthermore, users will also be disturbed by the browser warnings. The risks aside, it does not create a professional appearance.

It is probably best to limit the use of self-signed certificates to test labs where the data entered is not real and the testers can be warned to ignore the browser messages.

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Compare SSL: Protecting Multiple Sites Under a Single SSL Certificate

Do you operate multiple web sites and domains that need SSL Certificates?

SSL Certificates are essential if you operate a web site that exchanges personal information with visitors. They provide secured, encrypted communication where the visitor’s browser can verify it is connecting to your site and not some criminal that has hacked in to your site.

However, if you operate a lot of sites that require SSL Certificates it can get expensive and difficult to manage. Certificate Authorities charge annual fees for them and each certificate has an expiration date. If you have a large number you want to be sure that you do not leave any expired or revoked certificates in service. Browsers will display warnings for expired and revoked certificates that the site might not be trustworthy. That’s not the kind of messages you want your visitors to see if you value your reputation.

But there is good news!

There are two different types of SSL Certificates that could help you efficiently operate multiple sites, but you need to understand what they cover and their limitations before you decide what to use.

Wild Card SSLs for Subdomains

If you need SSL for multiple subdomains you should consider a Wildcard SSL. You can purchase one wildcard SSL that will cover a site and all its sub sites.

For example, you can apply one wildcard SSL that covers jelly.com, grape.jelley.com, strawberry.jelley.com, etc. The possibilities are literally endless!

The more subdomains that you operate the greater the benefit.

However, before you implement a wildcard SSL you need to understand two significant factors. First, wildcard SSLs are not issued with EV (Enhanced Verification). They are appropriate for many purposes on the public internet and internal intranet sites, but if you need the highest degree of assurance you need an EV Certificate.

An EV Certificate not only assures your visitors that you own the site, it assures them that you are a trustworthy business operation. This is critical for financial transactions, such as on shopping cart sites or other online payments.

Second, you should also consider that if one server or subdomain covered by the wildcard is compromised all of the others for that certificate are at risk.

The bottom line is that wildcard SSLs can be great, but make sure you use them wisely.

UC SSLs for Multiple Domains

If your organization uses an MS Exchange or Office Communications Server (OCS) environment, you can consolidate all of your certificates into a single Unified Communications (UC) SSL Certificate

UC SSL Certificates can be applied to multiple domains and host names. One UCC SSL certificate can be used for a domain and up to 99 alternate names, called Subject Alternate Names (SANs).

For example, you can protect both www.kjudge.com and www.kjudge.net with a single certificate.

A UC SSL Certificate differs from others only in that it includes a SAN field to list domains that the certificate will protect in addition to the primary domain. With Microsoft Exchange, you can easily update the SAN field to add or subtract domains.

Do you want to host multiple web sites on the same server? With a UCC SSL and SANs you can do that without having to use a unique IP Addresses for each site.

The only consideration here is that browsers display certificate information that shows the primary domain and all SANs. This is only a concern if you do not want your users to associate the sites.

Do you use Outlook Web Access?

If your operation uses Outlook Web Access (OWA) it is critical that all of your Exchange domains be protected by an SSL certificate. Otherwise, any sniffer could pick up userid and passwords and compromise your corporate communications.

UC SSL is an efficient way to cover all of your Exchange domains. Any additional costs from using SSL Certificates are nothing compared to the potential damage from a breach of your email system.

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Comodo System Utilities – A Free Download better than Most Paid Programs

Computer users worldwide who are looking for personal computer software that can tune up a lethargic system should investigate the Comodo System Utilities, which is a free computer security product which allows consumers to download free internet security. The free Comodo System Utilities software is comparable; if not better than many of the paid system utility products on the market. 

When you’re looking to download internet security; what features are important to you? Fortunately, the Comodo System Utilities package includes everything you need to install an effective clean-up for the Windows registry system. This free download removes or repairs any entries that are corrupted. It also includes a disk cleaner that defrags the disk so as to free up and improve performance and a cleaner for privacy that deletes cache and history and cookies so as to protect one’s identity and privacy on their computer.

The Utilities are easy to use and navigate through. There are two sections on the interface—the main content area and a side bar on the left with the various options for cleaning one’s system. Clicking on any one of these options activates that utility in the main content area.

There is a general purpose “Clean My Computer” button, which cycles through all the available utilities but one can also choose the individual utilities such as “Privacy Cleaner," “Registry Cleaner” and “Disk Cleaner” on an as-needed basis. The Active Clean option deletes temporary files and other types of files without needing intervention from the user, which makes it a simpler process.

Another positive when you’re looking to download internet security software is the auto run manager in Comodo’s System Utilities; which can help a user to select those programs that are launched when the computer starts up. When some of these programs are deactivated, the boot time of a PC can be increased, but one needs to be careful with certain obscure programs or services so as not to deactivate those that may be essential to a computer’s operation.

Comodo System Utilities also includes some other nifty programs. There is a “Wiper” utility that can completely clean a drive which is useful when giving away or selling one’s computer. “Safe Delete" is another handy utility that enables one to recover files that were permanently deleted by mistake and can restore one’s computer to state previous to one in which the deletion of these files may have caused problems with the running of one’s computer. There is also a live customer support module that can be installed called “Comodo Geek Buddy” that provides immediate help to those having trouble with using the utilities and is found on the interface in the upper-right corner. 

Finally, many have found that the performance of their computers was greatly improved after using the Comodo System Utilities, making them a worthwhile investment for any PC user. So, when you’re looking to download free internet security, make sure you take the time to look into the Comodo System Utilities program. It’s definitely worth your time and will save you a lot of money and stress in the long run.

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Internet Security Support – Comodo’s Secure Email Certificates

There are several positive attributes to internet security programs, but one of the most underestimated features is email protection they provide computer users. Emails that are exchanged over the Internet can be easily intercepted and read by others. There is also the possibility that they can be re-routed or destroyed altogether.

In several free internet security downloads, there is no built-in mechanism to ensure that email communications remain confidential, which can pose a problem for businesses and even academic institutions that may correspond with each other with confidential information. Securing such information and providing integrity of messages is an important requirement when communicating over the Internet. And this is a feature that Comodo’s securing email certificates that provide complete internet security offers computer users across the world.

One of the flagship products of Comodo is its Secure Email Certificate software. This product enables the user to sign emails digitally in order to prove that the content of emails, and their attachments came from the user. In addition, the user can encrypt emails and insure that they are read by the recipient for whom they were intended. The digital signature means that no one else is able to change the content of an email or an attachment without the recipient being alerted that this has happened.

The software is easy to use with a built-in wizard that enables one to set up an email certificate for digital signing and encryption. If the recipient of the email also uses the Comodo Secure Email software, then their public keys can be imported so that the message sent to them can be encrypted. If this is not the case, then one-time sessions or single use certificates can be issued.

The email is then sent to the recipient, and it is encrypted and then decrypted by the recipient using the Comodo Web reader service. The advantage of this is that it enables email to be encrypted and decrypted at any time. Unlike other digital certificate software, the free internet security that Comodo application provides will hide all the details and process of public key encryption and enables the user to create secure messages on as–needed basis.

The product supports a variety of email platforms that include Microsoft Outlook, Incredimail and Thunderbird and other email products that are based on SMTP, POP, IMAP and S/MIME which covers just about all the email products on the market. It is a versatile product for small business users and can be used by larger organizations in which network administrators can implement email security as a complement to applications for gateway encryption.

The Secure Email Certificate software is a free internet security download offered to business and home users and can be easily downloaded from the company’s web site. When it comes to providing total internet security, the free downloads offered by Comodo ensure to protect all aspects of the internet security protocol. It is this dedication to providing overall coverage that has impressed computer users across the world with Comodo’s trustworthy products.

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Free Internet Security – Comodo System Backup for Home Use

Quite often, the search for free internet security downloads often results in cheap software programs which result in less than effective system backup properties. However, Comodo provides a system backup utility for home users that are a powerful yet easy to use application for the desktop that helps business as well as home users to protect their data from being damaged or lost. 

The Comodo System Backup program is very easy for the average computer to use. It includes a simple interface with a step-by-step wizard that enables even beginning users to create a backup of their valuable data within minutes. 

The primary feature of the System Backup from Comodo is its ability to backup data to an online storage area, although it can also be used to backup data to other types of optical storage media such as CDs and DVDs, for example. The interface allows one to schedule backups on a regular basis or to be run at various intervals and to create custom profiles for doing backups that can be run with a single click. 

The free internet security software can also be used to restore files that get lost or damaged, and settings for this can be customized so that the program does not need to be reconfigured every time it is run. The Comodo System Backup can also be used as an online storage system. One can store music, videos, pictures and other multimedia types and then view or listen to them directly from the online storage system. 

The file does not need to be downloaded in order to be accessed and if any changes to the file are made while accessed these changes will be synchronized with the original that is on one’s computer. Every user is provided with 5 GB of free online storage, which will be guaranteed forever. 

For those more sophisticated, the internet security Comodo System Backup has some features that enable the cloning of disks for backups of disk image images and partitioning of disks into only those sectors which are used and then backing those up. Email and messaging clients can also be backed up, and email can be backed up on an incremental so only those changes since the last full backup will be backed up and only conversations that are new will be backed up. This speeds up the backup process and saves on space.

The Comodo System Backup is a very versatile application that makes the tedious process of backing straightforward for even the most novices of users. And thanks to free internet security download available from Comodo, computer users of any experience can find effective solutions to not only protect their computer from threats, but also provide a proactive system backup.

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Antivirus Internet Security – Comodo Protection for Small Business and Individuals

The company that brings you the ultimate download antivirus program for free also offers a complete internet security system as well. And for cost conscious computer users, Comodo offers four editions available for the home office or the business office. In these economic times, this is a great benefit for small business and home computer users who need protection from the vast online threats that exist today. 

There isn’t a day that goes by when any small business owner or individual who uses their computer at home is not at risk from hackers, identity theft criminals and other online security risks. This is a reality of the online world we live in today and unfortunately, there is no way of preventing these scrupulous individuals to stop their cyber-attacks. And it is for this precise reason that people need to download antivirus of some sort to protect their computers at work or at home. 

Having a personal internet security system such as the free antivirus download that Comodo offers computer users helps you build a piece of mind. The Comodo group makes it really easy for you to have Internet Security through download antivirus software; four great styles in fact which allow you to choose what you need based on what you want to protect as well as how much you want to spend.

Comodo offers: Internet Security - the basics, Internet Security Plus, Internet Security Complete and their famous Internet Security Pro programs. Each one is designed to work with Linux, PC and Mac.

No matter what you choose, all additions of the Comodo antivirus programs contain a personal firewall. This controls unauthorized communications with your computer and the internet along with preventing people from using your private information on your computer. The personal firewall is a continuous seeking antivirus always looking to for malicious software, which may have hooked up with your computer through an instant message, accessing images on the cloud or communications over the internet.

Quite often many of these computers used by individuals and small business may have been unprotected. The defence plus monitoring of the Comodo download free antivirus helps to detect any weird behaviour online, and detect behaviour which can sandbox different programs. This reduces bigger issues – when they make any change to your computer that will not be reversible. 

Whether you need a basic or a Plus, Pro or complete edition, you can find the best services on the subscription program with Comodo. When you buy the bigger versions you get better support, more technical help aptly named “Geek Buddy” services which will see you through until the very end of the subscription. 

Of all the free download free antivirus versions that Comodo offers, the Complete versions comes with an online backup, which can save you over the course of a year. You will be secure and safe whenever you surf the net with Comodo’s antivirus internet security programs. No matter which version of their security software you choose you really cannot go wrong.

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How Reliable is a Free Antivirus?

Have you ever questioned how reliable a free antivirus download can be for your important computer? If you do, you’re not alone. Several million computer users each year question whether or not to install a free antivirus program or spend the money on what they consider or assume is a better option. 

But, what if we were to tell you that there is a free antivirus program that is rated higher than most paid products? Comodo is the United States leading free download provider for the best internet and antivirus software. Better than big names such as Kaspersky or McAfee. Comodo offers you the best for absolutely free.

Unlike other antivirus products for free or even paid, Comodo offers you the same abilities as high end companies. You can schedule a virus scan, or just run a simple scan on the items you want to check. You can also set up Comodo to allow scans in the cloud, while changing your DNS server. Comodo also allows you to submit suspicious files and quarantined items to be further analysed. 

Any other antivirus company would want additional payments for you to send them information about other suspicious files. Comodo wants you to have 100% piece of mind, that your computer is free from viruses and problems. Being this secure is enough to make anyone with common sense try this absolutely free download. 

Free Antivirus programs today often seem to want to cheat you out of the files you need to protect your computer, internet browsing, instant messaging protections and now the cloud protect. Each entity you add to your antivirus package starts adding on additional costs, ten dollars here and there until pretty soon the cost of your program has gone from twenty-four dollars into the two hundred dollar bracket. You have kids; kids love to game; it only makes sense to have a well-protected computer? 

Several Enterprise companies, from the small online business to the big box retailers spend upwards of two hundred dollars for their entire company to be protected, in today’s world, who has this kind of money to spend on protect? Comodo, is in command over the free antivirus market, they have wonderful help for those people who need extra reassurances their software is running well and doing what it says it will do. 

Today’s antivirus programs offered by Comodo simply put are the best that money doesn’t have to buy. They are truly dedicated to providing you a great and reliable product. Truth being told, there are even better upgrades available from Comodo that provide detailed and full-service antivirus protection. 

No one likes to be online without trustworthy antivirus protection these days. With Trojan horses and worms blasting their way through emails and instant messages, there is a good reason to be using Comodo. Don’t be left out in the cold this winter with some store shelf brand antiquated antivirus program. Get the best, off the internet – Comodo, where your peace of mind is their prime reason for making the best antivirus program a free download.

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