How to check if an SSL certificate is still valid
SSL/TLS certificates are critical for secure web communication, but if they expire, they can cause serious disruptions and security issues. With certificate lifespans shrinking to under 60 days, it's more important than ever to proactively monitor SSL validity and expiration status. This article walks through how to check SSL certificates in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, and explores lifecycle management tools that help automate renewals, minimize downtime, and protect user trust.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) / Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates play a fundamental role in modern website security, but these certificates can be confusing to navigate.
Validity periods, in particular, add complexity, as these introduce the potential for expiration. These validity periods remain important because they promote timely updates and encourage compliance. Their benefits are accompanied by significant risks, however, including the potential for certificate expiration that can cause major disruptions and security concerns. This risk is further exacerbated by the industry's increasing shift towards shorter SSL certificate lifespans, driven by initiatives from major companies like Google and Apple. The latest proposals suggest validity periods shortening to as little as 47 days.
Both website visitors and website owners need to feel confident that SSL certificates are up-to-date. Thankfully, certificate validity does not need to be difficult to confirm. Below, we will provide details about verifying certificate validity using different browsers. We will also touch on the value of carefully managing SSL certificates and adopting proactive measures to ensure that these certificates are renewed on time.
What is an SSL certificate?
SSL/TLS certificates enable website encryption while also authenticating website identities. Typically issued by certificate authorities (CAs), these certificates involve protocols that have been strategically designed to secure communications between two main parties: a website (or a host or server) and the end users who hope to connect to the website in question.
Each certificate incorporates a public key (designed to encrypt information) and a private key (intended for decryption), with the public key remaining available through the website while the private key is secured.
Any lapse in an SSL certificate’s validity can have serious consequences. Expired certificates can lead to downtime, expose sites to attacks, and render data transmissions insecure. This can lead to lost traffic, reputational harm, and compliance violations for businesses relying on secure online communications. For website visitors, this exposes any sensitive data they enter on the website to potential security threats.
Different SSL certificate validation levels
While all SSL certificates share the same basic purpose, they take various forms that reflect differing authentication needs or preferences. Known as validation levels, these include:
Domain Validation (DV): Basic, but still valuable, DV SSL certificates verify domain ownership. The main advantages of this level of validation include ease of access, affordability, and speed of issuance.
Organization Validation (OV): In addition to confirming domain ownership, OV covers a few additional details about the organization in question, including verifying the organization's legal name, physical address, and other identifying information to ensure legitimacy. This is more secure than DV and can be a great option for SMBs.
Extended Validation (EV): Giving the highest level of validation and the most secure approach to SSL, EV SSL certificates involves a more in-depth process confirming an organization's legal existence and many other important details. This validation level is ideal for websites that handle highly sensitive transactions and user data, such as eCommerce and financial services.
How to check SSL certificates
Whether you're a visitor wanting to confirm that a website has a valid SSL and is safe to visit, or a website owner aiming to protect your own site, it's important to understand the basics of checking an SSL certificate. The process is simple, but it can look slightly different depending on which browser you use.
A quick way to check if a website is actively secure is to simply verify the presence of HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) at the beginning of the URL if the website is secured by an SSL certificate. Browsers also commonly warn users of a site that is not sure before allowing them to visit the domain, often displaying a warning message or a “Not Secure” indicator.
If you would like to see additional information about the digital certificate in question, however, you can easily find extra details by following the steps outlined below. Note - Browser UI elements (e.g., padlock icons and security messages) evolve frequently, so these instructions may vary slightly depending on browser update.
In Chrome
Begin by looking for a tune icon in the left-hand side of the address bar. You'll encounter a drop-down menu, ideally featuring an option explaining, "Connection is secure." This will give way to a brief explanation revealing that your information is safe when visiting the website in question. If you click Connection is secure, you should see the prompt, "Certificate is valid." Click this for additional details, including the CA that issued the certificate, the validity period, and more.
In Edge
The process for verifying an SSL certificate via Microsoft Edge looks similar to the steps described above for Chrome. With Edge, you will find a padlock on the left-hand side of the address bar, and, upon clicking this padlock icon, you'll see a drop-down menu featuring the prompt, "Connection is secure."
Click this, and you'll encounter a similar, but lengthier explanation: "This site has a valid certificate, issued by a trusted authority. This means information (such as passwords or credit cards) will be securely sent to this site and cannot be intercepted. Always be sure you're on the intended site before entering any information." A small icon in the corner of this area will lead you to additional certificate details, again revealing the CA, the validity period, and so on.
In Firefox
Like Edge and Chrome, Mozilla Firefox provides a straightforward process for learning about SSL certificates.
As with many browsers, the process of checking a certificate begins with the padlock in the address bar, followed by clicking the prompt for "Connection Secure." Next, click "More Information," followed by "View Certificate." This should lead to a wealth of information about the server certificate, the intermediate certificate, and the root certificate, with essential details including the issuer, the validity, and the validation type.
How do I find my own SSL certificate details?
If you have already obtained an SSL/TLS certificate, you can take comfort in knowing that you have adopted one of the most important safeguards for your website — and for your customers or clients.
Choosing the right SSL certificate is merely the first step, however. Once your certificates are deployed, you will move into the management phase of the certificate lifecycle — an important stage that calls for frequent check-ins to ensure that your SSL certificate remains valid.
While you can use the strategies highlighted above to view basic details about your certificate and its validity, this can be a time-consuming strategy when dealing with dozens of digital certificates. Instead, you will likely rely on a dashboard provided by your Certificate Authority, which should provide full visibility and comprehensive insights into all certificate details you have with that company.
Sectigo, a leading Certificate Authority, has an intuitive, centralized dashboard that enables you to easily manage, monitor, and ensure the validity of all your digital certificates. With this access, you should never have to question whether your certificates are valid. Look into dashboard availability as you select a CA and don't hesitate to use support services if you struggle to navigate this resource.
Checking SSL certificate expiration status
It is critical to avoid SSL certificate expiration, as this could prompt huge security concerns and for website owners, could erode trust among customers or clients. This is also problematic from a compliance perspective; in many industries, SSL encryption plays a vital role in maintaining full regulatory compliance. Sites that lack up-to-date SSL certificates may be all but impossible to reach, as many browsers will simply block them.
Certificate lifecycle management (CLM) solutions greatly limit the potential for outages, ensuring that validity periods are closely monitored — and that renewals occur before digital certificates are allowed to expire. Automation significantly reduces the risk of human error throughout the management process, streamlines certificate renewals, and ensures timely updates without manual intervention. These solutions help to maintain seamless operations and eliminate the need for constant manual checks, providing both efficiency and security. Automation will become even more of a necessity when the shift to shorter certificate validity periods come into play.
Be mindful of these opportunities when selecting a CA, and, when in doubt, opt for a trusted CA that offers an in-depth, easy-to-navigate system in which you can view all certificates and details such as lifecycle status or expiration date. They should also have automated certificate management solutions available to streamline the process.
How to obtain an SSL certificate
If you're ready to move forward with purchasing an SSL/TLS certificate, be prepared to research certificate authorities and certificate options. Assess your organization's needs carefully to determine whether you're best suited to DV, OV, or EV validated certificates. An EV SSL certificate will be needed for any website that involves potentially sensitive transactions.
Once you've selected a desired level of validation, you can move forward with choosing a certificate authority. Opt for a trusted CA with a strong reputation — and one that can streamline the deployment and renewal process via automation. You will also need to produce a certificate signing request (CSR) and submit it to the CA. The CSR includes important information about the domain. Following validation, you can proceed with SSL installation and will be ready to move into the usage and monitoring stage of the certificate lifecycle.
Partner with Sectigo, a leading certificate authority
As you plan for maximum website security, look to Sectigo for assistance. As a highly trusted certificate authority, we are pleased to offer a wide variety of certificates, including not only options such as DV, OV, and EV, but also, wildcard SSL certificates, multi-domain, and more. We provide certificate management solutions that automate key processes to bring greater efficiency and reliability to the entire digital certificate lifecycle.
Ready to get started? Browse our SSL products, tools, and resources today.