Is it safe to email SSL certificates? [closed]

Question

Closed. This question is off-topic. It is not currently accepting answers.

---

Want to improve this question? Update the question so it's on-topic for Stack Overflow.

Closed 5 years ago.

When I purchase SSL certificates, I submit the CSR securely through the vendor's website. The vendor then emails me the certificate that I need to install on my server.

Is it safe to email the certificate like that? For example, if someone intercepted the email with my certificate, could they compromise/decrypt my SSL?

If so, what's the safest way to get the certificate from my vendor on to my server?

Answer 1

Yes, it's safe. You need to protect the private key that corresponds to the public key in the certificate.

The certificate is public; when you install it, it will be sent to everyone that connects as part of the process to authenticate your server.