SSL Certificate Information Center

Using the Strongest SSL Security

As a web merchant or organization you want to ensure the strongest levels of SSL security.  Using weak security can result in compromise of the data being sent.  To help you achieve the highest levels of security, GlobalSign supports both 128 bit SGC encryption and the newly released 256 bit enabled SSL.

128 bit "step-up" SGC SSL

Historically most browsers and operating systems were exported from the US (Microsoft, Netscape, etc).  At the time when the Internet was first emerging, US export regulations prohibited the export of strong 128 bit encryption. However banks and financial institutions were allowed an exception and were permitted to use strong 128 bit encryption levels for SSL.  As such many older browsers that could support only 40 bit contained a technology referred to as SGC (Server Gated Cryptography) that forced an increase in encryption strength from weak 40 bit to strong 128 bit.  Certification Authorities such as GlobalSign were permitted to issue SGC enabled SSL Certificates to financial institutions. However since the liberalization of the US export laws, all organizations are permitted to use 128 bit (or more) SSL and newly exported browsers transparently started to support the higher encryption strength.  There is a problem though – some older browsers have not been “upgraded” which means that some users may still require SGC in order to guarantee the stronger level of security.  This is why GlobalSign adds SGC capabilities to every SSL Certificate free of charge.

SGC is a secure server SSL Certificate which "enhances" SSL technology to deliver strong (128-bit) encryption during an internet browsing session between the web server and the older legacy Microsoft browsers (version 4.723612.1713 and above), without SGC these older browsers are forced to connect using weak 40 bit encryption. SGC addresses the need for additional security in especially sensitive electronic transactions or communications, and are currently available to banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, health and medical organizations, online merchants where support for strong encryption levels in legacy Microsoft browsers is essential. Only GlobalSign and VeriSign can provide SGC enabled certificates that provide the highest levels of browser recognition and step up encryption strengths, but ONLY GlobalSign provides SGC free of charge.

Get the most from newer browsers - 256 Bit Enabled SSL

In recent years computing power has increased to the level that 40 bit security can be cracked by brute force computing in a matter of hours. 40 bit encryption is therefore considered insecure. If you are using the latest web server software and your web site visitors are using the latest browsers, a GlobalSign SSL Certificate is capable of delivering 256 bit encryption. This level of encryption delivers the highest possible security, and using the same computation power that would crack 40 bit encryption in hours, will take billions of years to crack 256 bit encryption.