What SSL/TLS and HTTPS Do for a Website SSL/TLS encrypts traffic between a client and a server. For websites, this is what allows a... How to Use the Current cPanel SSL/TLS Interfaces Current cPanel versions can present certificate tools in more than one layout. On cPanel 134 and... How to Check SSL Certificate Status for Your Domains Use cPanel → Security → SSL/TLS Status, or the equivalent Status tab in the unified SSL/TLS... What Is AutoSSL in cPanel? AutoSSL is cPanel & WHM functionality that can automatically provision and renew... How to Run AutoSSL Manually in cPanel If AutoSSL actions are enabled for the account, you can request an AutoSSL run from cPanel →... How AutoSSL Certificate Renewal Works AutoSSL periodically checks eligible certificates and attempts renewal before expiration. Current... Understanding AutoSSL Domain-Control Validation Before an AutoSSL provider can issue a certificate, it must verify control of the hostname. This... Why Correct DNS Matters for AutoSSL SSL issuance and DNS are closely related. AutoSSL can only validate hostnames that meet the... Troubleshooting Common AutoSSL Failures AutoSSL failures are usually more useful when treated as validation errors rather than generic... Understanding DV, OV, EV, AutoSSL, and Self-Signed Certificates cPanel can display several certificate types in SSL/TLS Status. AutoSSL DV Certificate — a... Why Browsers Warn About Self-Signed SSL Certificates A self-signed certificate encrypts traffic but is not signed by a certificate authority that... How to View SSL Certificate Details in cPanel Use SSL/TLS Status or the certificate-management interfaces to inspect a domain's certificate.... How to Install an SSL Certificate Manually in cPanel When the SSL/TLS interface is enabled, cPanel can install a certificate manually for a hosted... What Is a CA Bundle or Certificate Chain? A website certificate is often part of a chain that links the site certificate to an intermediate... Understanding SSL Private Keys in cPanel An SSL private key is the secret half of the public/private key pair used by a certificate. It... How to Generate an SSL Private Key in cPanel Use cPanel → Security → SSL/TLS → Private Keys (KEY) when manual key generation is required. Open... How to Protect SSL Private Keys Treat an SSL private key like a high-value credential. Do not paste it into public tickets, chat... What Is a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)? A Certificate Signing Request (CSR) contains information used when requesting a certificate from... How to Generate a CSR in cPanel Use cPanel → Security → SSL/TLS → Certificate Signing Requests (CSR) when a certificate authority... Choosing the Correct Hostname for a CSR and Certificate The certificate must cover the hostname visitors or applications actually use. For example,... How to Manage Certificates (CRT) in cPanel The Certificates (CRT) section of cPanel's SSL/TLS tools stores certificate data that can be used... RSA vs. ECDSA SSL Keys in cPanel Current cPanel & WHM supports RSA and ECDSA as preferred SSL/TLS key types. RSA is widely... How to Change the Default SSL/TLS Key Type in cPanel When the option is enabled, cPanel → Security → SSL/TLS includes Default SSL/TLS Key Type. Open... Understanding TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3 in cPanel Current cPanel & WHM supports TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3 and no longer supports protocol versions... Troubleshooting an Expired SSL Certificate An expired certificate is no longer within its valid date range and browsers can warn visitors... Troubleshooting an SSL Hostname Mismatch A hostname mismatch occurs when the requested hostname is not included in the certificate... Troubleshooting an Untrusted SSL Certificate Warning A browser can reject a certificate even when encryption is technically active. Common causes... Troubleshooting Mixed Content on an HTTPS Website Mixed content occurs when an HTTPS page loads one or more resources over insecure HTTP. The page... Understanding HTTP-to-HTTPS Redirects After SSL Is Installed An SSL certificate allows HTTPS, but it does not automatically guarantee that every HTTP request... Understanding SSL Coverage for Root Domains, www, and Subdomains Certificates cover specific DNS hostnames. The root domain, www, and other subdomains are... Why a Browser Can Show the Wrong Server Certificate If DNS points a hostname to a different server, the browser can receive that other server's... When to Delete Old Certificates and Private Keys in cPanel Old certificate material can accumulate in cPanel, but deletion should be deliberate. Before... What Is Directory Privacy in cPanel? Directory Privacy adds web authentication to a selected directory. Visitors who request protected... How to Password-Protect a Directory in cPanel Use cPanel → Files → Directory Privacy when the feature is enabled. Navigate to the directory and... How to Manage Directory Privacy Users After enabling Directory Privacy, create users who are allowed to authenticate to the protected... Understanding Directory Privacy Inheritance A directory protected through cPanel Directory Privacy also protects its subdirectories through... How to Block an IP Address from Website Access in cPanel Use cPanel → Security → IP Blocker to deny web access from selected IP addresses, ranges, or... What cPanel IP Blocker Does and Does Not Block cPanel's IP Blocker controls access to websites served by the account. It is not a server-wide... How to Remove an IP Block in cPanel To restore website access for an address previously blocked through cPanel: Open Security → IP... What Is Hotlink Protection in cPanel? A hotlink occurs when another website embeds a file from your site and your server supplies that... How to Configure Hotlink Protection Open cPanel → Security → Hotlink Protection when the feature is enabled. Enable hotlink... How to Disable Hotlink Protection Safely Before disabling Hotlink Protection, save a copy of the allowed-referrer list if you may need it... What Is Leech Protection in cPanel? Leech Protection works with password-restricted directories to detect unusually frequent logins... How to Configure Leech Protection Use cPanel → Security → Leech Protection for a directory that already uses or will use Directory... Leech Protection and LiteSpeed Compatibility Current cPanel documentation states that LiteSpeed Web Server does not support cPanel Leech... What Is ModSecurity in cPanel? ModSecurity is a web application firewall engine that applies configured security rules to web... How to Enable or Disable ModSecurity for a Domain When the interface is available, open cPanel → Security → ModSecurity. You can enable or disable... Troubleshooting a Possible ModSecurity 403 Error A blocked web request can sometimes appear as a 403 error, but not every 403 is caused by... How to Enable Two-Factor Authentication for cPanel When two-factor authentication is enabled on the server, cPanel can require both the account... How to Reconfigure or Remove cPanel Two-Factor Authentication Use the Two-Factor Authentication interface to replace an existing authenticator configuration or... Troubleshooting Invalid cPanel 2FA Codes Time-based 2FA codes depend on accurate time. If cPanel reports that a current code is invalid:... Understanding cPanel Security Policy Questions and Verified IPs The Security Policy interface can appear when the server is configured to use security questions... Understanding SSH Access in cPanel SSH provides encrypted command-line access to a hosting account when shell access is enabled.... How to Generate an SSH Key Pair in cPanel Use cPanel → Security → SSH Access → Manage SSH Keys to create a key pair. Select Generate a New... How to Import and Authorize an SSH Key in cPanel Existing SSH keys can be imported through SSH Access → Manage SSH Keys → Import Key. Choose a key... How to Keep SSH Private Keys Secure An SSH private key can authenticate access without typing the account password, so it must be... How to Deauthorize or Delete an SSH Key in cPanel Use SSH Access → Manage SSH Keys to remove access associated with an old key. Deauthorize the... What Are cPanel API Tokens? cPanel API tokens allow scripts or external tools to run supported cPanel API functions without... How to Create a cPanel API Token When enabled, open cPanel → Security → Manage API Tokens. Select Create.Enter a unique token... How cPanel API Token Expiration Works A cPanel API token can be created with no expiration or with a specific expiration date. Current... How to Revoke a cPanel API Token Revoke an API token when an integration is retired, the token may have been exposed, or access is... Why API Tokens Are Better Than cPanel Passwords for Automation For unattended API automation, use an API token instead of embedding the cPanel account... Choosing Safer Website File and Directory Permissions Filesystem permissions determine which users and processes can read, write, or execute files. Use... Understanding Security Rules in .htaccess Files An .htaccess file can contain directory-level Apache configuration such as redirects,... Why Some cPanel Security Tools May Not Appear Many cPanel security interfaces are controlled by the server's Feature Manager and account... A Practical cPanel Account Security Checklist Use layered security rather than relying on one control. Use a unique, strong cPanel... Checklist Before Making SSL or Security Changes Before changing a live website's certificate or security configuration: Identify the exact domain...