Do I need a fully qualified domain name to set up an SSL certificate?
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Not necessarily. If the SSL certificate is for an internal server that is not World Wide Web-accessible, you do not need to use a fully qualified domain name.
However, attackers use simple host name certificates to perform "man in the middle" attacks, which let them eavesdrop on secure connections. Because of the security risk, we are planning to discontinue these certificates in the near future and new regulations beginning October 1, 2016 will ban these certificates.
To limit your risk, we recommend that you begin using fully qualified domain names and stop using certificates containing simple host names and IP addresses as soon as possible.
