SSL Certificate and Cipher Suite Check
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A certificate audit starts before the first TLS handshake. This checker walks through DNS resolution, opens an HTTPS connection, and records how the server negotiates encryption. You gain visibility into leaf and intermediate certificates, supported TLS versions, cipher suite preferences, and the trust anchors exposed to visitors.
When the form is empty, explore the guidance below to understand how to remediate common HTTPS issues. Learn why expiration notices appear, how to prepare renewal windows, and what telemetry matters for uptime. We cover OCSP stapling, protocol deprecations, and the operational steps that keep certificate chains healthy.
Check related tools: MX Lookup, DMARC, MTA-STS.
Why run an SSL certificate check?
Attackers rely on stale certificates and downgrade vectors. A routine audit confirms that strong protocols like TLS 1.2 or 1.3 stay enabled while vulnerable ciphers remain disabled. By reviewing the negotiated cipher suites, you can enforce AEAD options such as AES-GCM or ChaCha20-Poly1305 and keep forward secrecy intact.
Configuration drift frequently introduces hostname mismatches and partial certificate chains. Use the results to verify Subject Alternative Names, ensure the intermediate bundle is complete, and monitor revocation settings. Incorporating OCSP stapling and short-lived certificates reduces exposure when private keys leak.
The report also highlights IP routing and DNS responses gathered during the scan. Pair the telemetry with your monitoring system to receive proactive alerts when expiry is approaching or when a deployment accidentally disables HTTP/2 or TLS session reuse. The fewer surprises you leave for browsers, the higher your security posture and user trust remain.
SSL Certificate Check FAQs
- What is an SSL certificate check?
- It tests whether a site presents a valid, trusted certificate, exposes supported TLS versions and cipher suites, and returns a complete chain to a trusted root.
- How do I see supported TLS versions and ciphers?
- Query the server and list negotiated TLS versions and cipher suites. Prefer TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3 with modern AEAD ciphers.
- What happens if the certificate is expired or mismatched?
- Browsers warn or block access. Renew the certificate, correct hostnames, and ensure the chain is complete to restore trust.
- How do I verify the certificate chain?
- Confirm the leaf links to an intermediate and a trusted root. Serve required intermediates from the server to avoid chain gaps.
- Is SSL the same as TLS?
- SSL is the older name. Modern servers should disable legacy SSL and use TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3.
- What is OCSP stapling and why use it?
- OCSP stapling lets the server present revocation status with the handshake, which improves privacy and reliability.