How To Generate SSL/ TLS Certificate Through WHM

From the last blog, we have started discussing various tools offered under security feature of the cPanel. And in the last blog, we have discussed about how to use IP Blocker in cPanel, that feature allows you to block an IP address or a range of IP addresses to prevent them from accessing your site.

So now in this Blog we are going to discuss about:How to generate SSL Certificate and Signing Request and how to install an SSL certificate on a domain.

This is important because the information you send on the Internet is passed from computer to computer to get to the destination server. Any computer in between you and the server can see your credit card numbers, usernames and passwords, and other sensitive information if it is not encrypted with an SSL Certificate. So this information such as logins, credit card numbers, etc. are sent encrypted instead of plain text if you have SSL certificate. It is important to secure your site’s login areas and other pages where sensitive information could be sent over the web.Now, we can generate both a self-signed certificate and a certificate signing request for a domain.

Following interface will appear when you select Generate an SSL Certificate and Signing  Request.

Before installing an SSL certificate it is important to place an Signing Request to a Certificate Authenticator.

So for generating the Signing Request perform the following steps:Select Generate an SSL Certificate and Signing  Request (CSR) in WHM :-

Contact Information :

You can select a check box “ When complete, email me the certificate, key, and CSR”: – For receiving the copy of the generated Certificate, Key and CSR.

Email Address : – Provide your email address.

Private Key Options : When the system generates a self-signed certificate and CSR, the system also generates a new private key for the certificate and CSR. To protect the certificate, this key must be confidential. Do not send the private key through an insecure method.

Key : – Recommended key size is 2,048 bits.

Domains : – Provide the domain name that you are trying to secure.

City : – Provide the complete name of the city, do not use the abbreviation.

State : – Provide the complete name of the state, do not use abbreviation.

Country : – Choose the country of origin for the certificate’s company.

Company : – Provide the legally registered name for your business.

Company Division : – Provide the name or the division within the above company.

Email : – Provide a valid email address where you can be contacted for verification of domain ownership.

Shared Secrets :- Some certificate authorities may require CSRs to have a passphrase. The certificate authority can use a CSR passphrase to confirm the identity of the person or organization with whom you wish to communicate.

Passphrase : – Do not use the important password here.

Description : – Enter the description.

Click “Generate”.Once the CSR gets generated, then it is sent to Certificate Authenticator. They will provide you with 3 things :

1. Certificate i.e. .crt file

2. Private Key i.e..Key file and

3. Certificate Authority Bundle.
These are required for installing the SSL Certificate on your Domain.

2. Install an SSL Certificate on a DomainFor installing a certificate on a domain, use this interface. For installing the domain when you enter the desired domain then the interface will automatically fill the empty fields. If you want, you can also paste the certificate to automatically fill the domain and related information. You can use the “Browse Certificate” button for selecting the desired domain. When you select this option then the following interface will appear:

• Domain : – Enter the desired domain.
• IP address (Non-user Domains only) : – Leave this text box blank unless you wish to create an SSL website for a domain that is not attached to a user account.
• Certificate : – The certificate may already exist on your server, you can automatically fill the certificate or paste the entire.ctr file in this text box.
• Private Key : – The key may be already present on your server, you can automatically fill the key or paste the entire.key file in this text box.
• Certificate Authority Bundle : – In most of the times, you do not need to supply the Certificate Authority Bundle. The server will retrieve it from a public repository during installation.
• Click “Install” for installing the certificate.
• Click “Reset” for resetting the SSL certificate on a domain.

Once the SSL Certificate gets installed, then you can check whether it is installed properly or not by visiting a link: https://www.sslshopper.com/ssl-checker.htmlHere you are required to enter the server hostname for which you have installed an SSL certificate. It will display all the information about the SSL certificate.