Domain Validation
The Domain Validation certification guarantees that during the use of the SSL, the exchange of information with the domain will be encrypted and secure. It provides certification on a basic level and for the issue of a DV SSL the only requirement is the validation of the domain name and that it belongs to the entity that applied for the SSL. For this type of certification no document is required. A simple click on the verification link, sent by the issuing authority, is enough. The SSL is issued and activated instantly.

The DV SSLs are recommended for entities that need instantly an SSL, without having to submit any corporate documents and is suitable for websites that require encrypted exchange of information, e.g. login pages, small transaction pages, mail servers, etc.

Organization Validation
Through the Organization Validation, apart from the domain name ownership, additional information about the organization or the company is also certified. This information includes the name of the entity, the city, the prefecture and the country where its headquarters are. The issuing authority realises bank or local government searches to identify the information. If they cannot validate the data, it is required that the organization submits the necessary documents that prove its identity.

The OV SSLs are suitable for companies that, apart from the encryption of information, wish to provide their customers with certification of their corporate data and identity. It is recommended to companies regardless of the size, that want to provide the highest level of security in to gain their customers' trust and maintain their level of competition. On some browsers, the address bar for websites with an OV SSL is blue.

Extended Validation
The Extended Validated SSLs are the ones that require a strict process of audits, so that the identity of the organization is validated. They differ from the OV SSLs as far as the process is concerned, while on EV SSLs it its required by Certification Authority Browser Forum that the organization passes a 7-level audit. The necessary documents should prove the sole ownership of the domain name, the organization's headquarters, its natural and legal entity, its operation, the validation that the organization has indeed applied for the SSL, as well as the natural and legal entity of its representative.

It is ideal for companies and organizations that wish to inform their customers that they have passed the most strict audits, so that they can gain the trust of the customer instantly. it is recommended to large companies with online and e-commerce services, that wish to maintain their level of competition and inform the customer that they are in a secure location, where their personal data and transactions are protected.

Encryption is the process behind the SSL Certificates, that ensures the secure exchange of information. During the exchange, the information is encrypted, so that it is impossible for a third party to process it, without the necessary authorization.

All SSL Certificates of Top.Host provide 256-bit encryption, that is the highest standard of security in the certification industry.

The SSL certificate is an independent service to hosting, so you can have whichever certificate you want via Top.Host, regardless of your hosting provider.

Note: The activation is realised through your hosting provider, and the SSL management is conducted via myTophost Panel.

In case you want to activate more SAN Domains, additioanal to the free ones that your certificate supports, you have to place an order through the panel of the respective issuing authority (Geotrust, Symantec, Thawte).

Then we will contact you for the application of the additional charge, so that the process can be completed.

The Wildcard certificates are issued for a unique root name (e.g. *.mydomain.com) and can be used for unlimited subdomains, based on the root name. Thus, they can be used for the protection of subdomains like ftp.mydomain.com, blog.mydomain.com, mail.mydomain.com etc.

The SAN certificates protect multiple unique Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDN) with different root names. With the same SAN SSL certificate, you can protect domains like mydomain.com, mydomain.gr, newdomain.net etc.

Depending on the certificate that you will choose, some or all of the following is available:
- A lock symbol will appear on the user's browser when they visit your website.
- Τhe URL on the browser will appear with "https" instead of "http".
- There will be static or dynamic logos and seals.

All SSL Certificates provided by Top.Host, are accompanied with warranties, so that your customers feel secured and protected during their transactions on your website.
These warranties represent the maximum amount that an issuing authority can give as a compensation, in case of decryption of the encrypted data during their transfer.
All warranties are subject to the terms of use of the respective issuing authority and of Top.Host.

It is possible that, for the activation of the SSL you bought from Top.Host, you are going to need an extra activation of a Dedicated IPv4. If your hosting is on another provider, you will have to contact them, to be informed about their policy.
Learn more.

If you have already activated SAN domains and you want to replace one of them, you need to contact the respective issuing authority (Geotrust, Symantec, Thawte).

Through their panel, you have the ability to replace the domains you want and reissue your certificate, so as it is updated with the new domains.

This particular feature is up to the issuing authority that provides the certificate.

• The SAN SSL certificates of Geotrust can be activated on multiple physical servers free of charge.
• The SAN SSL certificates of Symantec and Thawte can be activated on multiple physical servers with an extra charge, as the purchase of additional licenses is required.

In case you are interested in acquiring more licenses, you can submit an application through the panel of the respective issuing authority (Geotrust, Symantec, Thawte). Then we will contact you for the application of the additional charge, so that the process can be completed.

The use of a SAN SSL certificate is recommended in case you want to protect multiple services with a different root name. If you are interested in protecting unique FQDN that correspond to different root names, the SAN SSL certificates are the best solution.

Some examples of use of unique FQDN are:

• If you provide application services (ASP) to different customers and every customer uses their own, unique domain name.
• If you use for your company / organisation internal and external services that consist of different root names and you want to protect them.
• If you use Microsoft Exchange Servers and Μicrosoft Lync Servers for mailing, VOIP and instant messaging services.
• If you provide shared hosting services and you are interested in protecting multiple hosted domain names.
• If you conduct quality assurance audits for different domain names.