What is a Security Certificate?

A Security Certificate is a chunk of information (often stored as a text file) used by the SSL protocol to establish a secure connection.

A Security Certificate contains information about whom it belongs to, whom it was issued by, a unique serial number or other unique identification, valid dates, and an encrypted ‘fingerprint’ that can be used to verify the contents of the certificate.  In order for an SSL connection to be created, both sides must have a valid Security Certificate (also called a ‘Digital ID’).