SSL Certificates enable an encrypted connection through an interaction known as the SSL Handshake. This process uses both a public key (on the sending end) and a private key (on the receiving end) and all happens within milliseconds. Each SSL Certificate has a “Subject” which identifies who owns the certificate. This is always a domain name, and, if applicable, the company operating the website. To ensure SSL certificates are used properly, the subject listed in the certificate is always validated, but some validation processes are more stringent than others. There are three levels of validation—Domain Validation (DV), Organization Validation (OV) and Extended Validation (EV).