Can I request a certificate for an intranet name or IP address?

No - we no longer accept certificate requests for either intranet names or IP addresses. This is an industry-wide standard, not one specific to GoWebsite.

Here are example of the types of "common names" you cannot request certificates for:

Why does this policy exist?

To create a safer online environment, members of the Certificate Authorities Browser Forum met to define implementation guidelines for SSL certificates. As a result, effective October 1, 2016, Certification Authorities (CAs) must revoke SSL certificates that use intranet names or IP addresses.

In short, this policy increases security. Because internal server names are not unique, they are vulnerable to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. In a MITM attack, the attacker uses a copy of the real certificate or a duplicate certificate to intercept and retransmit messages. Because CAs issue multiple certificates for the same internal name, an attacker can make a valid request for a duplicate certificate and use it for the MITM.

To read the CA/Browser Forum guidelines, click here.

What are my alternatives if I want to use an IP address?

Instead of securing IP addresses and intranet names, you should reconfigure servers to use Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs), such as www.coolexample.com.

After configuring a FQDN to point to your IP address, you can generate a CSR for the domain name, and then request your certificate.

Next step

• After pointing a domain to your IP address, you can request a CSR for it