Supported DCV methods for validating the domains on OV/EV TLS/SSL certificate orders
Demonstrate control over domains on a pending OV or EV TLS/SSL certificate order
Industry standards prevent Certificate Authorities (CAs), such as DigiCert, from issuing your TLS/SSL certificate until you demonstrate control over the fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) and IP address on the certificate order. We refer to this process as the Domain Control Validation (DCV) process.
DigiCert currently supports these DCV Methods:
Email
WHOIS-based Email
Constructed Email
Email to DNS TXT contact
DNS CNAME
DNS TXT
HTTP Practical Demonstration
HTTP Practical Demonstration with unique filename
When ordering a certificate, you select a DCV method to demonstrate control over the domain on the order. On the certificate's Order details page, use the DCV method selected during the order process to complete the domain validation. You can always switch validation methods if needed.
To validate your domains, you can complete the DCV as part of the certificate request process, or you can prevalidate your domains. Per industry standards, a domain's validation is valid for 397 days (approximately 13 months).
Demonstrating control over domains on DV/OV/EV TSL/SSL certificate orders
When ordering a certificate, you select a DCV method to demonstrate control over the domains on the order. On the certificate's Order details page, use the DCV method selected during the order process to complete the domain validation. You can always switch validation methods if needed.
Domain prevalidation
CertCentral features a domain prevalidation process that allows you to validate your domains before you begin ordering certificates for them. See Domain prevalidation: Domain control validation (DCV) methods.
Completing the domain validation ahead of time allows for quicker certificate issuance. For immediate certificate issuance, Domain prevalidation is required. See OV/EV certificate immediate issuance.
Email DCV method
With this validation method, DigiCert sends three sets of DCV emails: WHOIS-based, constructed, and DNS TXT-based.
To demonstrate control over the domain, an email recipient follows the instructions in a confirmation email sent for the domain. The confirmation process consists of visiting the link provided and following the instructions on the page.
See Use the Email validation method to verify domain control.
WHOIS-based email
For the WHOIS-based method, DigiCert sends an authorization email to the registered owners of the public domain as shown in the domain's WHOIS record.
Important
Are you expecting to receive an email at an address published in your domain’s WHOIS record?
Verify that your registrar/WHOIS provider has not masked or removed that information. If the information is masked, find out if they provide a way (such as anonymized email address, web form) for you to allow Certificate Authorities (CAs) to access your domain’s WHOIS data.
Constructed email
For the Constructed Email method, DigiCert sends the authorization email to five constructed email addresses for the domain: admin, administrator, webmaster, hostmaster, and postmaster @[domain_name].
If we can't find an MX record for [domain_name], you must use one of the other supported DCV methods to demonstrate control over the domain. See MX records (mail exchanger records) below.
Background
When you register a domain, you must provide contact information (e.g., administrative and technical contacts). Instead of using a personal email address, you can use one of the constructed email addresses for your domain (e.g., webmaster@yourdomain). Using one of the constructed email addresses allows you to create a "non-expiring" email address that you can add or remove people from when necessary.
MX records (mail exchanger records)
Before DigiCert can successfully send an authentication DCV email to the domain owner (or domain controller), we must verify that an MX record (a resource record in the Domain Name System [DNS]) exists in the DNS records of the recipient's domain name. The presence of valid MX records enables us to send the authentication email.
For example, you want to receive your DCV email at one of the constructed email addresses for example.com, admin@example.com. To successfully send a DCV Email to admin@example.com, we must first find an MX record for the address that identifies the server (e.g., mailhost.example.com) set up to receive the emails destined for admin@example.com.
If we find an MX record, we can successfully send a DCV email to admin@example.com. If we don't find an MX record, no DCV email is sent because we cannot identify the proper mail server.
Email to DNS TXT contact
To use Email to DNS TXT contact, you must choose the Verification email DCV method when prevalidating your domain, ordering a certificate, or changing DCV methods for your domains.
For the email to DNS TXT contact DCV method, DigiCert sends an authorization email to the email addresses found in the DNS TXT record on the _validation-contactemail subdomain of the domain being validated.
DNS TXT record email contacts
To use the Email to DNS TXT Contact DCV method, you must place the DNS TXT record on the _validation-contactemail subdomain of the domain you want to validate. The RDATA value of this text record must be a valid email address.
Name | TTL | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Default | validatedomain@digicerttest.com |
See section A.2.1 DNS TXT Record Email Contact in the Appendix of the baseline requirements.
DNS TXT DCV method
Add a DigiCert generated random value (provided for the domain in your CertCentral account) to the domain’s DNS as a TXT record. When DigiCert does a search for a DNS TXT record associated with the domain, we can find a record that includes the DigiCert generated random value.
See Use the DNS TXT validation method to verify domain control
DNS CNAME DCV method
Add a DigiCert generated random value (provided for the domain in your CertCentral account) to the domain’s DNS as a CNAME record. Then, add dcv.digicert.com as the CNAME target. When DigiCert does a search for a DNS CNAME record associated with the domain, we can find a record that includes the DigiCert generated random value.
See Use DNS CNAME to validate a domain on a pending OV or EV TLS certificate.
HTTP Practical Demonstration and HTTP Practical Demonstration with unique filename DCV methods
Important
You can only use the HTTP Practical Demonstration DCV methods to demonstrate control over fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) exactly as named in the certificate request. To learn more, visit Domain Validation Policy Changes.
Use one of the other supported DCV methods, such as email, DNS TXT, and CNAME, to:
Validate wildcard domains (e.g., *.example.com).
Include subdomains in the validation when validating a higher-level domain. For example, if you want to cover www.example.com, mail.example.com, and one.example.com when validating the higher-level domain example.com.
Prevalidate entire domains and subdomains.
HTTP Practical Demonstration
Host a file containing a DigiCert generated random value (provided for the domain in your CertCentral account) at a predetermined location on your website: http://{domain-name}/.well-known/pki-validation/fileauth.txt.
After you've created the file and placed it on your site, DigiCert visits the specified URL to confirm the presence of our random value.
See Use the HTTP Practical Demonstration DCV method to verify domain control.
HTTP Practical Demonstration with unique filename
Host a file with a random filename that contains a DigiCert-generated random value (provided for the domain in your CertCentral account) at a predetermined location on your website: http://{domain-name}/.well-known/pki-validation/{unique-filename}.txt.
After you've created the file and placed it on your site, DigiCert visits the specified URL to confirm the presence of our random value.
See Use the HTTP Practical Demonstration with unique filename DCV method to verify domain control.
Warning
DV TLS certificates do not support the HTTP Practical Demonstration with unique filename DCV method.