When a user opens a website with a padlock in the browser, they rarely think about what actually stands behind this security symbol. An SSL certificate is a digital document that confirms the authenticity of a website and encrypts transmitted data. At the core of this system is the SSL private key. This is a secret file stored on the server and used to decrypt information encrypted with the public key. Simply put, the private key allows the server to “read” the data sent by the user’s browser. If this key falls into the hands of third parties, the security of the connection effectively ceases to exist.
