Thank you for choosing Infomaniak to secure your sites with an SSL certificate EV or DV from Sectigo.

An SSL certificate secures all exchanges between your server and your visitors, displays a padlock and adds the https to your site.

Which SSL certificate to choose?

• What are the requirements for an EV SSL certificate?
• What are the differences between an EV and DV certificate?
• Can I order an SSL certificate from Infomaniak if my site is hosted elsewhere?
• What does the warranty of a Sectigo SSL certificate exactly cover?

What would you like to do?

• Fix any potential errors after activating an SSL certificate
• Install a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate on a site
• Install a wildcard certificate
• Uninstall a Let's Encrypt certificate
• Update a Let's Encrypt certificate (e.g. after adding/removing aliases)
• Familiarize yourself with all the FAQs about SSL
• Contact Infomaniak support

This guide explains how to install a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt on a website hosted by Infomaniak.

Preamble

• Once the certificate is installed, your website will be accessible in http and https …
  • If necessary automatically redirect all your visitors to the secure https site.
• If you want to include an alias domain recently added to your site that already had a certificate, you need to update it.
• For multiple subdomains, refer to this other guide.
• Let's Encrypt limits certificate installation to:
  • 100 subdomains
  • 20 certificates for 7 days per registered domain
  • 5 failed requests per account per host name per hour

Install a free SSL certificate on a site

Prerequisites

• For the installation to be possible, the DNS of the domain name must be correctly configured to point to the site in question.
• If a change has recently been made at this level, some operations may not be functional immediately.

To access the websites to install an SSL certificate:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product in question:
   
3. Click on Configure under SSL Certificate:
   
4. Click the Install certificate button:
   
5. Choose the free certificate.
6. Click on the Next button:
   
7. Check or select the relevant domains.
8. Click on the Install: button:
   
9. Wait until the certificate is obtained on the site.

This guide suggests solutions to resolve common issues and frequent errors that may occur when you try to display your website in https after activating an SSL certificate.

The web browser automatically displays the http version of the site when you try to access it via https

It is recommended to perform the following actions:

• Clear the cache of your applications or your site.
• Check that the pages and scripts of the site do not contain redirects to the http version of the site.
• Check that the site's .htaccess file does not contain redirects to the site's http version.
• Set the https address of the site as the default:
  • with WordPress Infomaniak
  • for other cases

The website displays poorly (missing images, unsupported stylesheets, etc.) or displays a warning in the address bar

It is recommended to perform the following actions:

• Clear the cache of your applications or your site.
• Check that the pages and scripts do not point to external resources in http; the site whynopadlock.com can help you identify the unsecured elements of your site.
• Also refer to this other guide on this topic.

"This web page has a redirect loop", "ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS"

If your web browser displays this error, it is recommended to perform the following actions:

• If the site runs on a web application like WordPress or Joomla, disable the extensions one by one to identify the problematic one.
• Check that the pages and scripts of the site do not contain redirects to the http version of the site.
• Try to disable HSTS.
• If **Prestashop** is used, you need to activate SSL **on all pages**:
  1. Add your SSL domain:
     • Go to Preferences > SEO & URLs.
     • In the "Shop URL" section, enter your site address in the "SSL Domain" field (without the https://, just www.domain.xyz).
  2. Activate SSL:
     • Go to Preferences > General Settings.
     • At the top of the page, click on "Click here to use the HTTPS protocol before activating SSL mode."
     • A new page will open with your site in secure HTTPS version.
  3. Force SSL usage on the entire site:
     • Go back to Preferences > General Settings.
     • Set the "Enable SSL" option to YES.
     • Also set "Force SSL usage for all pages" to YES.

An old SSL certificate is displayed - clear the SSL cache

Web browsers cache SSL certificates to speed up navigation. Normally, this is not a problem. However, when you develop pages for your website or install a new certificate, the SSL state of the browser can hinder you. For example, you might not see the padlock icon in the browser's address bar after installing a new SSL certificate.

The first thing to do in this case is to make sure that the domain is correctly pointing to the server's IP address (A and AAAA records) and if it is still the wrong SSL certificate that is returned, clear the SSL cache:

• Chrome: go to Settings and click on Settings. Click on Show advanced settings. Under Network, click on Change proxy settings. The Internet Properties dialog box appears. Click on the Content tab. Click on Clear SSL state, then click OK. Find other tips in this other guide.
• Firefox: go to History. Click on Clear Recent History then select Active Logins and click on Clear Now.

Loss of CSS formatting

If the website displays without CSS styling, analyze the page loading with the browser's Console. There might be mixed content errors related to your .css styles, which you will need to resolve to load them correctly again.

Cloudflare

If you use Cloudflare, refer to this other guide on the subject.

This guide explains how to renew a wildcard certificate via DNS challenge using Certbot.

Preamble

• Make sure to protect the configuration files and scripts containing sensitive information such as API tokens.
• Test the manual and automatic renewal process to ensure everything works correctly before the expiration date of the existing certificate.

Generate the wildcard certificate

Prerequisites

1. Click here to access API management on the Manager Infomaniak (need help?).
2. Create an Infomaniak API token with the scope "domain".
3. Save this token for later use.

From a terminal application (command line interface, CLI) on your device, for example cmd on Windows or Terminal (installed by default on macOS), run the Certbot command with the following parameters:

certbot certonly --manual -d *.domain.tld --preferred-challenges dns-01 --server https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory

Create the TXT record

Create the TXT record for _acme_challengez.domain.tld manually from the Infomaniak interface.

Set up automatic renewal

Create the renewal configuration file

Create or edit the file /etc/letsencrypt/renewal/domain.tld.conf with the following information:

	[...]	
	[renewalparams]	
	account = xxxxx	
	pref_challs = dns-01,	
	server = https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory	
	authenticator = manual	
	manual_auth_hook = /root/infomaniak-auth.sh	
	key_type = rsa

Create the script infomaniak-auth.sh

Create the file /root/infomaniak-auth.sh with the following content:

	#!/bin/bash	
	INFOMANIAK_API_TOKEN=XXXXXXX	
	certbot certonly \	
	--authenticator dns-infomaniak \	
	--server https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory \	
	--agree-tos \	
	--rsa-key-size 4096 \	
	-d $CERTBOT_DOMAINdsqqds

Replace XXXXXXX with your Infomaniak API Token.

Automatic renewal

Schedule regular execution of certbot renew via a cron job to account for the configuration file and automatically renew your certificate at regular intervals.

0 0 */x * * /usr/bin/certbot renew --quiet --config /etc/letsencrypt/renewal/domain.tld.conf

Replace /x with the desired renewal frequency, for example every 30 days.

This guide details the conditions and procedure to obtain a EV SSL certificate from Sectigo with Infomaniak.

Prerequisites

• Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates can only be issued to organizations, companies, and societies legally registered with a recognized government authority (such as a commercial register).
  • The DV certificates from Sectigo and Let's Encrypt are not subject to this constraint.
  • Compare the available SSL certificates

EV certificate validation procedure

Obtaining an EV SSL certificate can take up to 24 hours and requires valid information from the client.

This procedure is repeated every 12 months, regardless of the subscription duration chosen for the EV certificate.

1. Verification of the company's details

The data that will be added to the certificate must first be verified with an independent source:

• the legal or commercial name
• the legal form
• the address
• the postal code
• the region / the canton / the department
• the country / the country code

Attention:

• The company name must exactly match the one registered with the registry or the chamber of commerce; the order can only be processed if the given name is registered and correctly noted.
• Only the registered legal name or the brand name followed by the legal name in parentheses is allowed [example: Commercial Name (Legal Name)]; for entities without a legal name, all commercial names can be used.
• It is forbidden to use a postal address.

Given the above, a new request with correct data in the CSR may sometimes be necessary, and Infomaniak may also need your approval to make changes to the information provided during the order.

2. Verification of data in the WHOIS directory

The WHOIS directory displays the information of the owner of a domain name. This data must match the information provided when ordering the EV SSL certificate.

To update the information for a domain in the WHOIS:

• If your domain is managed by Infomaniak, refer to this other guide.
• If your domain is not managed by Infomaniak, contact your host/registrar.

3. Contract & validation for the EV certificate

After ordering an EV certificate, the designated company contact person will receive an email from the certification authority Sectigo with the following documents:

• the certificate request form
• the certificate contract

These documents are pre-filled and the contact person must validate them online using an additional code. This will be provided by a telephone robot from Sectigo (the call number will come from the Netherlands, +31 88 775 77 77 in principle) orally to your number registered with the registry or the chamber of commerce.

Each certificate request is validated by phone, including renewals and reissues of multi-domain certificates.

4. Domain verification (for external sites only)

This step verifies that you control the domain (if it is external to Infomaniak) for which the certificate is requested. Domains of sites hosted at Infomaniak are automatically validated.

Each (sub-)domain must be approved individually via one of the methods described in this other guide.

This guide details the conditions and procedure for using a Sectigo Infomaniak certificate on a site hosted elsewhere, with a third-party host.

Preamble

• You have the possibility to benefit from the advantageous rates of Infomaniak for your SSL certificates while managing your sites with another host.

Install a Sectigo certificate

Due to the different service providers, the installation of your certificate will not be automatic:

1. Obtain the CSR

Export the CSR configuration file from your host and enter it when ordering your certificate at Infomaniak.

2. Confirm domain ownership

Validate the domains included in the certificate via one of the following methods:

• Enter a validation code received at one of the following email addresses (the complete email address must exist on the domain to be validated, for example “domain.xyz”):
  • admin@domain.xyz
  • administrator@domain.xyz
  • hostmaster@domain.xyz
  • postmaster@domain.xyz
  • webmaster@domain.xyz
• Creation of a unique CNAME record in the domain's DNS.
• Validation txt file to upload via FTP to your site.

This guide explains the main differences between an EV and DV certificate.

SSL EV Certificates: for companies

The Sectigo SSL EV certificate can only be issued to companies registered in an official registry.

It provides the highest level of trust with your clients and offers unique advantages in addition to including the benefits of a DV certificate:

• name of your company in the navigation bar
• lock in the navigation bar
• dynamic site seal
• domain name validation
• manual verification of your company's details and identity
• warranty up to $1,750,000 for end users
• 7/7 support

Activating an EV SSL certificate may take up to 24 hours and will require action on your part.

SSL DV Certificates: for companies and individuals

The Sectigo DV certificate is available to individuals and companies. It does not include some of the advantages mentioned above, but it offers additional benefits compared to free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates:

• dynamic site seal
• domain name validation
• guarantee up to $10,000 for end users
• support 24/7

The activation of a DV SSL certificate is immediate.

And what about Let's Encrypt certificates?

A free Let's Encrypt certificate guarantees the same level of encryption as an EV or DV certificate. However, Let's Encrypt certificates unfortunately do not offer the following benefits:

• manual validation of your company's credentials and authenticity (EV)
• warranty for end users in case of fraud (EV/DV)
• support in case of questions

In summary, Let's Encrypt certificates ensure the encryption of exchanges between your users and your site, but they do not guarantee to internet users that they are on a legitimate site whose identity has been authenticated by a certification authority.

This guide details the validity rules for SSL EV and DV certificates (effective as of September 1, 2020).

Validity period of SSL certificates

Following a meeting of the CA/B Forum, which brings together major web players (Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc. - learn more), it was decided to set the maximum validity period of SSL certificates to 397 days. This change aims, among other things, to limit the risk of certificate hacking and to increase the level of security of certificates. It is not excluded that the maximum validity period of a certificate may be further reduced in the coming years. Some players like Apple, Google or even Sectigo are pushing in this direction.

Sectigo DV SSL Certificates

The SSL DV certificates from Sectigo with a duration of more than 1 year are automatically renewed by Infomaniak (certificate reissued during the month preceding its expiration date).

It is necessary to reinstall the certificate on your site if it is not managed by Infomaniak.

Sectigo EV SSL Certificates

The SSL EV certificates from Sectigo will need to be validated each year, regardless of the subscription duration chosen.

It is necessary to reinstall the certificate on your site if the latter is not managed by Infomaniak.

This guide explains how to generate a certificate signing request (CSR) for a domain name and all its subdomains with a Web Hosting. This allows you to encrypt the connection to your domain name and all its subdomains via SSL.

Setting up a Wildcard certificate

1. Add a wildcard domain alias with asterisk *

To add a wildcard alias * to your website:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product concerned:
   
3. Then click on the chevron ‍ to expand the Domains section of this site.
4. Click on the Add a domain button:
   
5. Enter the domain name to add in this format:
   • *.domain.xyz (the asterisk is mandatory, followed by a dot, then the domain name of the website which is domain.xyz in this example)
6. Click on the Confirm button to complete the procedure:
   

2. Install a SSL certificate or update it

Example of updating the existing certificate to include the wildcard sub-domain *:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product.
3. Click on SSL in the left sidebar.
4. Click on the action menu ⋮ located on the right.
5. Click on Change the certificate:
   
6. Select the same certificate that you already own.
7. Click on the button Next:
   
8. Make sure the recently added subdomain is selected.
9. Click on the Install button at the bottom:
   
10. Wait for the creation or update to complete.

The warranty provided with an EV or DV SSL certificate protects your users against any unexpected issues related to a possible validation error by Sectigo, the certification authority that issues SSL certificates and validates your personal data.

The guarantee is therefore claimable if the certification authority does not correctly validate the information contained in the digital certificate and this failure causes the end user to lose money in the context of a fraudulent credit card transaction.