# SSL certificate issuer

> The certificate issuer is the certificate authority that signed a website's SSL certificate, such as Let's Encrypt, DigiCert or Sectigo.

- **Check ID:** SSL2
- **Area:** [Tech Stack](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint)
- **Tool:** [Tech Stack](https://be1st.ai/tools/tech-stack)
- **Page:** https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/ssl-certificate-issuer

## Why it matters

The certificate type indicates the level of identity verification. DV (Let's Encrypt) only verifies domain ownership. OV and EV also verify the organization. For e-shops and financial services, an OV/EV certificate signals trustworthiness.

## In practice

A bank with an EV certificate (DigiCert) has the highest level of verification. A blog with a Let's Encrypt DV certificate has basic encryption. Both are secure, but EV provides greater trust for sensitive transactions.

## How be1st checks it

Identification of the SSL certificate issuer: Let's Encrypt, DigiCert, Sectigo, GlobalSign, GeoTrust, and others. Certificate type: DV (Domain Validation), OV (Organization Validation), EV (Extended Validation).

[Tech Stack](https://be1st.ai/tools/tech-stack), Server & SSL tab.

## Sources

- [Let's Encrypt - How It Works](https://letsencrypt.org/how-it-works/) (Let's Encrypt)

## Related terms

- [SSL certificate validity](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/ssl-certificate-validity): Certificate validity is the period an SSL certificate is valid for. After its expiry date, browsers show visitors a security warning instead of the site.
- [Vector embeddings](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/vector-embeddings): A vector embedding is a list of numbers that represents the meaning of a text, so texts with similar content end up close to each other.
- [Competitor similarity](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/competitor-similarity): Competitor similarity is how close the content of two websites is, measured by comparing their vector embeddings.
- [CMS / content management system](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/cms-content-management-system): A CMS (content management system) is the software a website is built and edited in, such as WordPress, Drupal or Joomla.
- [E-commerce platform](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/e-commerce-platform): An e-commerce platform is the software an online store runs on, such as Shoptet, WooCommerce, Shopify or PrestaShop.
- [JS / CSS frameworks + CDN](https://be1st.ai/glossary/fingerprint/js-css-frameworks-cdn): JavaScript and CSS frameworks are the libraries the front end of a website is built with, such as React, Vue, jQuery or Bootstrap, often loaded from a CDN.