This article will explain what SHA-1 and SHA-2 are, and the differences between them.
This article will explain what SHA-1 and SHA-2 are, and the differences between them.
SHA stands for Secure Hash Algorithm and is used to help scramble the confidential information that is encrypted by the SSL certificate.
SHA-1 was the common standard which was initially developed in the mid-1990s. However, as computers become more and more powerful, this algorithm has become easier to decrypt, thereby diminishing its usefulness. Furthermore, browsers such as Google Chrome will often warn visitors of security issues when they attempt to access a website that incorporates SHA-1 within its SSL certificate.
As such, every SSL certificate issued after 1st January 2017 only uses the SHA-2 security algorithm.
If you need to change to SHA-2, you can do this by re-keying your SSL certificate.