SSL Dragon

06/09/2026

🔐 Did you know that not all SSL certificates can be trusted — even if they haven't expired yet?

When a certificate is compromised or misused, Certificate Authorities add it to a Certificate Revocation List (CRL). This list acts as a blocklist, warning browsers and apps to reject those certificates before they can cause harm.

CRLs are a core part of how the internet stays secure — but they also come with challenges like update delays and file size. That's why alternatives like OCSP and Certificate Transparency Logs are often used alongside them.

Want to understand how it all works? Read our full breakdown of CRLs and how they fit into modern web security:
https://www.ssldragon.com/blog/what-is-certificate-revocation-list/

Learn what a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) is and how it safeguards online security by managing revoked certificates effectively.

06/05/2026

Big update to our SSL Checker, and it's still free.

Run a scan on your domain and you'll now get:

→ A full security grade from A+ to F with a clear breakdown
→ Vulnerability scans for Heartbleed, POODLE, BEAST, ROBOT, and Ticketbleed
→ Cipher and TLS version analysis
→ Multi-server testing for sites behind a CDN
→ Browser compatibility results
→ OCSP, CRL, and CAA record checks
→ Certificate download and PEM viewer
→ Expiration reminders

A working certificate doesn't mean a secure setup. The tool now shows the difference, in about 30 seconds, with no signup needed.

Have you ever been surprised by what an SSL scan turned up on your own site? Drop a comment, we're curious.

(Link to the tool is in the comments 👇)

06/02/2026

Port 80 and port 443 both handle web traffic, but they are not the same.

Port 80 uses HTTP, which sends data without encryption. Port 443 uses HTTPS, which encrypts data through SSL/TLS and helps protect users from interception, tampering, and man-in-the-middle attacks.

In the full article, we explain the key differences between port 80 and port 443, why HTTPS has become the standard, and what website owners should know when moving from HTTP to HTTPS.

Read the full article at this link:

Discover the key differences between Port 80 and Port 443, and learn why switching from HTTP to HTTPS is essential for online security.

05/19/2026

Public and private keys are both essential for secure communication online, but they do very different jobs.

A public key can be shared openly and is used to encrypt data or verify digital signatures. A private key must stay secret and is used to decrypt data or create digital signatures.

In the full article, we explain the differences between public and private keys, how they work together, and why they are important for SSL/TLS, secure emails, blockchain, and online transactions.

Read the full article at this link:

Understand the difference between public and private keys, their roles in encryption, and how they ensure secure communication in the digital world.

05/18/2026

A small internal error was enough for Let’s Encrypt to temporarily stop issuing certificates.

Existing certs continued working, but new requests and automated renewals were affected during the interruption. This incident proves that modern HTTPS relies on much more than a simple browser UI status.

The reality is that certificate hierarchies, automated renewal workflows, and complex trust paths now operate at a massive scale with zero margin for error.

That pressure is only increasing as certificate lifetimes continue getting shorter across the industry.

Full breakdown here:
👉 https://www.ssldragon.com/blog/lets-encrypt-pauses-certificate-issuance/

Let’s Encrypt halted certificate issuance after an internal system error disrupted new requests and SSL automation.

05/05/2026

What keeps online banking, emails, and shopping transactions secure?

Public key cryptography is one of the main technologies behind secure digital communication. It uses a public key to encrypt data and a private key to decrypt it, helping protect sensitive information from being read or altered during transmission.

In the full article, we explain how public key cryptography works, its key components, and where it is used, from HTTPS and digital signatures to email encryption and blockchain.

Read the full article at this link:

Learn how public key cryptography protects sensitive information online through secure key exchanges, encryption, and digital signatures.

03/02/2026

Most people still think of TLS in simple terms: one site, one certificate, one trust decision.

From what we see across our clients, that model doesn’t reflect how things work today. HTTPS rarely terminates in one place. It moves through CDNs, load balancers, and internal services — each with its own certificate enforcing trust.

That’s where troubleshooting slows down. One team checks the edge certificate. Another reviews the load balancer. All valid — yet the conversation goes in circles.

How does your team map certificates across your stack today?

Full editorial here:
👉 https://www.ssldragon.com/blog/multi-certificate-tls-mental-models/

Why modern TLS setups stall even when certificates are valid. An SSL Dragon editorial on multi-certificate environments and trust misalignment.

02/23/2026

Is SSL really important for SEO — or just for security?

Seeing a “Not Secure” warning can instantly destroy user trust. While SSL may only provide a modest ranking boost, its real impact is felt through better engagement, stronger trust, and safer data handling.

In this article, we explain:
✔ How SSL and HTTPS work
✔ Google’s official stance on SSL as a ranking factor
✔ Real SEO data and studies
✔ Best practices for a smooth HTTPS migration

📖 Read more: https://zurl.co/XQQaj

02/13/2026

Most people believe SHA-1 was removed from SSL years ago. But that wasn’t the case until now.

The CA/Browser Forum has approved the final removal of SHA-1 from public certificate chains, cleaning up the last legacy elements in otherwise modern trust infrastructures.

At SSL Dragon, we track these hierarchy changes closely because they shape how trust behaves beneath the surface.

You likely won’t need to take immediate action. But it’s a reminder that certificate ecosystems evolve quietly in the background, even when your own certificate hasn’t changed.

Full breakdown here:
👉 https://www.ssldragon.com/blog/sha-1-removed-certificate-chains/

The CA/Browser Forum approved the final removal of SHA-1 from SubCAs and CRLs. Learn what it means and how to check your chain.

02/05/2026

Last week, we showed where most paid SSL orders come from. One country alone accounts for 38% of all purchases. But that’s only half the story.

Countries like Kazakhstan, Moldova, Seychelles, and Ukraine show massive certificate activity, despite having very few buyers. That means a small number of teams carry enormous SSL workloads.

Everything is concentrated. That’s where SSL becomes a core operational system. Buying a certificate is simple. Keeping large certificate fleets stable is the hard part. So here’s the real question:

If your certificate automation failed tonight, would you know which systems are still exposed?

Full analysis and charts below:

👉 https://www.ssldragon.com/blog/where-ssl-certificates-are-bought/