Let’s Encrypt – How We Kept You Secure
On Wednesday 4th March, with almost no notice, three million website security certificates were revoked.
The Technical Bit
SummaryThe company Let’s Encrypt found a bug in their certificate authority code and had to revoke the certificates that were affected. Digital certificates ensure that the communication from your web server to your browser is encrypted and therefore secure.
What Happens Without The Certificate?
A secure connection isn’t just better for your users, but also increases your Search Engine rankings for the site, as unsecure sites are penalised.
As well as a drop in traffic from Search Engines like Google, when visitors reach your site they’ll be greeted with an alert warning that the site is not secure. This is typically enough to put most users off even remaining on your website, let alone purchasing anything from it (if your website has e-commerce features). Not the kind of image you want for your business.
How Does This Affect Us?
All of the certificates for Sonder websites were among the three million which needed reissuing, however, our dev whiz Rob Swan reacted quickly and obtained new security certificates for all sites before the 4th March cut off – so your site remained secure at all times.
Without subscriptions to a continuous website maintenance service, you would have been unaware of this development and, until you next visited your site, you may not have realised the dramatic implications of having an unsecured website. But fear not, Sonder to the rescue! Rest assured we keep in-the-loop with all changes in the online world and relentlessly ensure our client's websites are following best practices.
Note: This security issue was important enough to be featured on BBC News.
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Posted on March 9th 2020
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