Firefox SSL: you are connected to whatever.com which is run by (unknown)?

Question

Got a Verisign SSL and installed on Apache, Chrome and IE works fine, but a slight problem with Firefox.

with Firefox, if I click on the padlock, first tells you that "you are connected to xyz.com which is run by (unknown). The VeriSign certificate has my Organization in it. but why it is showing (unknown)? If i click "More information", it says "This web site does not supply ownership information." BUT if I click "view certificate", the certificate clearly display ownership information(organization name)!

HELP, thanks!!!

Answer 1

This means your certificate provider did not state that they verified your identity (your company information itself, organization name), only that you owned the domain. An SSL certificate must, of course, include verification that the domain name belongs to the holder of the certificate. But it may or may not include verification that the identity of the certificate holder is the name given in the certificate.

Even if your certificate issuer did do some identity verification, they didn't do enough to vouch for your identity as verified by them. Though they did do enough to include it in the certificate. Firefox does a terrible job of conveying this information. If you get an EV certificate, that includes the CA vouching for your identity, not just your domain name.

See Mozilla bug 444980 for more information.

TL;DR version: This is Firefox's clumsy way of saying your certificate wasn't an EV certificate.