What is Domain Validated (DV) Certificate?

The Importance of Securing Websites with SSL/TLS Certificates: Understanding Domain Validated Certificates (DV Certificates)

Domain Validated (DV) Certificate is a specific type of digital security certificate most often used in relation to websites. Operating within the sphere of cybersecurity and antivirus mechanisms, DV Certificates play a crucial role in ensuring online data transactions are secure and unaltered.

In its simplest form, a Domain Validated (DV) Certificate is an online safety certification which verifies and provides assurance that the domain of a particular website is owned or controlled by a specific company or individual. This certification, once obtained, confirms that the domain is not a malicious or counterfeited site, hence increasing the users’ level of trust because they know that their personal information is protected.

The DV certificate is the most basic level amongst different types of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) certificates. SSL or TLS is the backbone of secure Internet transactions, and it protects sensitive information as it travels across computer networks. These certificates are utilized to lower the risk of sensitive information (such as credit card numbers, usernames, passwords, emails etc.) from getting stolen or tampered by hackers or identity thieves. In fact, any site that has information passing to and from it should be securely encrypted with an SSL.

The key functionality of DVs stems from the SSL protocols they employ. Application for a DV Certificate involves a process known as DNS validation. Typically, the Certificate Authority (CA), or the entity that issues these digital certificates, will send an email to the applicant. The applicant must then vertex their domain ownership by responding to this email. Once verified, the CA then proceeds to issue the DV Certificate. It's important to note that DV Certificates only verify domain ownership and do not provide insight into the legitimacy of the organization managing the site.

This form of certification, while quicker and less costly, reportedly carries less trust compared to Organization Validated (OV) or Extended Validation (EV) certificates. This is mainly due to the fact that DV certificates don't require as thorough of a verification process as OV and EV. As such, DV certificates are commonly used by low-volume websites where trust isn't as big of an issue, such as blogs and small businesses.

While DVs lack the detail of more rigorous certificates, they’re beneficial in that they maintain a high degree of encryption integrity, protecting users and online transactions. For many smaller businesses, DV Certificates prove invaluable as a relatively low-cost method of achieving HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and PCI (Payments Cards Industry Data Security Standard) compliance.

Anyone visiting a website with a DV certificate gets the reassurance that the website’s domain does indeed belong to that organic entity. A website using DV certification will demonstrate this by usually displaying a locked padlock preceding the URL text. Correspondingly, websites without DV Certification either won't show the padlock image or the URL will be visually flagged by many browsers with a warning indicating the website may not be secure.

Despite the simplicity of DV Certificates, they still play a significant role in today's cyber environment by enhancing trust and confidence in online communications. They may not provide the in-depth level of validation that OV and EV certificates do, but they form an elementary element of a more comprehensive tiered cybersecurity approach. Conversely, in an era of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, it’s crucial to understand the limitations of DV certificates, particularly in contexts that require a higher level of assurance like ecommerce or online banking. In such cases, entities may opt for the more thorough process of obtaining an OV or EV Certificate. Hence, the use of DV Certificates should be calibrated to the level of risk and sensitivity of information involved.

Domain Validated (DV) Certificate FAQs