ZeroSSL GmbH TLS Certificate
Phishing sites using this certificate issuer
What is ZeroSSL GmbH?
- Operator
- ZeroSSL (apilayer GmbH)
- Chains to
- USERTrust RSA Certification Authority
- Key type
- RSA & ECDSA
- In use since
- 2018
Operator-name view of ZeroSSL, a free 90-day DV CA owned by apilayer GmbH. Specific intermediates are ZeroSSL ECC Domain Secure Site CA and ZeroSSL RSA Domain Secure Site CA.
Free + automated + ACME, similar to Let's Encrypt but issued under Sectigo's USERTrust roots. Popular as a fallback when Let's Encrypt rate limits hit.
Frequently asked questions
What is ZeroSSL GmbH?
ZeroSSL GmbH is a publicly trusted intermediate certificate authority operated by ZeroSSL (apilayer GmbH) and chained to USERTrust RSA Certification Authority. It is recognized by all mainstream browsers and operating system trust stores, so the certificate itself is not a phishing indicator - the same intermediate signs millions of legitimate sites. phishunt only flags the specific domains listed below as suspicious; ZeroSSL GmbH as a CA is fine.
Why does ZeroSSL GmbH show up on phishing sites?
ZeroSSL (apilayer GmbH) issues RSA & ECDSA domain-validated certificates automatically and at no cost (or very low cost), which is the exact workflow scammers need to put HTTPS on a throwaway domain. Domain validation only proves that the requester controls the domain name, not that the site behind it is trustworthy. phishunt lists the specific domains currently flagged below — those are the suspicious ones, not ZeroSSL GmbH itself.
How do I verify a certificate issued by ZeroSSL GmbH?
In a desktop browser, click the padlock in the address bar and open the certificate viewer. Confirm the issuer chain ends at USERTrust RSA Certification Authority, that the subject matches the domain you expect, and that the notAfter date has not passed. A valid ZeroSSL GmbH certificate only proves TLS was negotiated correctly — always verify the domain name itself belongs to the service you intended to visit.
What is the difference between ZeroSSL GmbH and ZeroSSL ECC Domain Secure Site CA?
ZeroSSL GmbH and its siblings (ZeroSSL ECC Domain Secure Site CA, ZeroSSL RSA Domain Secure Site CA) share the same operator (ZeroSSL (apilayer GmbH)) and roll up to the same root (USERTrust RSA Certification Authority). CAs rotate multiple intermediates so that if one key ever has to be revoked, the damage is contained. As a user, you can treat all of them as the same trust anchor.
It is strongly recommended to use them for Threat Hunting or add them to a Watchlist.
| Last check (UTC) | First seen (UTC) ▾ | URL | Screenshot | Flags | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-02 13:30 | 2026-04-18 21:25 | ![]() |
urlscan | Details |
It is strongly recommended to use them for Threat Hunting or add them to a Watchlist.
| URL | Screenshot | Flags | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| https://hq-coinbase.com | ![]() |
urlscan | Details |
