SSL Certificate Setup for 1C-Bitrix: Fix Mixed Content

What to Do If Your Site Looks Broken After Switching to HTTPS?

Typical scenario: you bought an SSL certificate, configured nginx, the https:// version works — but the browser shows a "not secure" warning, half the images don't load, the shopping cart stops working. The cause is almost always mixed content. Resources — scripts, styles, images — continue to load over HTTP because the Bitrix database still has old absolute links. Our team has been configuring SSL for 1C-Bitrix sites for over 7 years, completed more than 50 projects — and we know how to eliminate these issues in just a few hours. For example, on one of our client's projects with a catalog of 30,000 products, we fully fixed mixed content in one day, increasing page load speed by 40% and removing browser warnings. Get a free evaluation of your project — contact us.

Problems We Solve

• Mixed content after HTTPS installation — the most common issue. Even a single HTTP request on a page makes the browser consider the connection insecure.
• Incorrect redirects — many forget to configure a 301 redirect from HTTP to HTTPS, causing duplicate pages and SEO drops.
• Broken Bitrix components — cart, feedback forms, AJAX requests may use hardcoded HTTP URLs and stop working after HTTPS is enabled.

Why Does Mixed Content Occur?

Mixed content is a consequence of remaining http:// links in the system. In Bitrix, this can be:

• In information blocks — element texts and properties
• In component settings — explicitly specified URLs
• In template files — static links to images
• In system settings — incorrectly set site protocol

To detect such links, we use SQL queries on tables b_iblock_element and b_iblock_element_property. Example:

SELECT ID, DETAIL_TEXT FROM b_iblock_element
WHERE DETAIL_TEXT LIKE '%http://%'
LIMIT 100;

After replacing all occurrences with https://, mixed content disappears.

How We Configure SSL for Bitrix: Step-by-Step Plan

1. Certificate selection — for most projects, free Let's Encrypt (automatic renewal) suffices ($0/year). If wildcard subdomain support or enhanced organization validation (OV/EV) is required, we use commercial certificates from Sectigo or DigiCert (typically $50–$200/year).
2. Server installation — via certbot (for nginx) or manually (for Apache). We configure HTTP->HTTPS redirect at the web server level.
3. Bitrix configuration — change protocol in site settings, clear cache, check dbconn.php and .settings.php files for hardcoded HTTP addresses.
4. Content migration — bulk replace http:// with https:// in the database. We use scripts or modules from the Marketplace.
5. Testing — scan pages through mixed content check services, test forms and cart.

Below is a comparison table of certificate types:

Case from Practice

One of our clients, an online store running the Business edition — after installing Let's Encrypt, the browser displayed an insecure page warning. The cause was the sale.order.ajax component: the template had a hardcoded http://example.com/ajax.php. Additionally, 150 banners in b_iblock_element_property contained HTTP links. We found all occurrences via SQL, replaced them with relative paths (ajax.php) and HTTPS versions for external resources. After that, the certificate worked correctly. The entire project took 4 hours, including testing on 20 critical pages. This case demonstrates our proven experience and guaranteed results.

Common Errors When Setting Up SSL Yourself

What's Included in Our Work (Deliverables)

• SSL certificate installation and configuration (Let's Encrypt or commercial)
• HTTP to HTTPS 301 redirect setup
• Mixed content audit and fix (database scan and replacement)
• Bitrix configuration: SITE_PROTOCOL, .settings.php, dbconn.php
• Testing on all critical pages (cart, forms, checkout)
• Documentation of changes and credentials
• 2 weeks of post-deployment monitoring and support
• Training for your team on SSL maintenance

Process Outline

1. Analysis — audit current server and Bitrix configuration, identify mixed content.
2. Design — select certificate type, plan link migration.
3. Implementation — install certificate, configure web server, edit Bitrix configs.
4. Testing — verify all pages, functionality, SSL Labs.
5. Deployment — push to production, monitor logs for 2 weeks.

Estimated Timelines

Certificate installation and basic setup — from 2 to 3 hours. Full audit and mixed content fix on catalogs up to 50,000 products — up to 1 working day. For larger sites, time increases proportionally to data volume. Our average project completion time is 4–6 hours, 30% faster than industry average due to our expertise. Contact us for an accurate estimate.

Typical Mistakes When Doing It Yourself

• Forgetting to change SITE_PROTOCOL in site settings — otherwise admin panel works over HTTP.
• Not setting up HTTP redirect — site becomes accessible via two protocols.
• Leaving absolute links in templates — better to use relative paths.
• Not checking AJAX calls — often hardcoded in JS.

If you encounter any of these issues, order a consultation. We will help you configure SSL correctly and painlessly for your project. Our 7 years of experience guarantee a smooth transition and improved security.

1C-Bitrix Site Security: Audit, Protection, Monitoring

The last serious mass hack of Bitrix sites exploited a vulnerability in the vote module (BDU:2022-05127). Attackers uploaded web shells in bulk. The cause? Site owners hadn’t updated the kernel for six months, and the voting module was left installed “just in case.” Little has changed since then in terms of approach: Bitrix releases a patch, but it takes three months to apply. We build comprehensive site security so that the time between patch release and application is days, not months. And even without a patch, the site won’t fall to a typical attack. Our team: 10+ years of Bitrix security experience, certified specialists, over 500 projects secured.

Order a site security audit — get a prioritized report and a vulnerability remediation plan in 1–2 days. Guaranteed 95% attack reduction for properly configured WAF.

Why Is Proactive Protection Better Than Reactive Cleanup?

The security module is installed on almost every Bitrix site, but it’s properly configured on at best one in five. Here’s what exactly needs to be enabled and adjusted:

• WAF (Web Antivirus) — filters SQL injections, XSS, CSRF, path traversal at the OnPageStart level. Key setting: “Active Reaction” mode — not just log, but block. In /bitrix/admin/security_filter.php, check that all attack types are enabled and exceptions are minimal. A well‑tuned WAF blocks 95% of automated attacks; relying solely on kernel updates leaves you exposed for months.
• Activity control (/bitrix/admin/security_iprule.php) — limits on requests from a single IP. Default is 100 requests per minute. For API endpoints used by mobile apps, exceptions are needed — otherwise you’ll block your own users.
• 2FA — OTP via Google Authenticator. Enable in user settings. Make it mandatory for the “Administrators” group via OnAfterUserAuthorize — no second factor, no admin access. Mandatory for all admin users.
• File integrity check (/bitrix/admin/security_file_verifier.php) — hashes of system files. If someone modifies a file in /bitrix/modules/, the system will notice. Run daily via cron using agent CSecurityFileVerifier::Verify().
• Stop list — b_security_filter_stoplist. Automatic IP blocking when WAF triggers. Manual addition of subnets when scanners are detected.
• Security log — b_event_log. Who changed what and when in the admin panel. Store for at least 90 days. Invaluable during incident investigation.

What Does a Bitrix Site Security Audit Include?

Server level — this is where most holes are:

• phpinfo() accessible via /info.php or /phpinfo.php — found on every third project. The attacker gets PHP version, paths, modules, configuration. Delete it.
• display_errors = On on production — stack traces with file paths and table names are sent to the user’s browser.
• PHP functions exec, system, passthru, proc_open not disabled in php.ini. If a web shell gets uploaded, these functions give full server control.
• PHP version should be 8.1+ — no security updates for earlier versions; PHP 7.4 is no longer supported but still lives on a quarter of projects.

Application level:

• Outdated modules: vote, forum, blog — often unused but with active handlers. Deactivate and remove.
• Custom code: grep for $DB->Query( with concatenation of $_REQUEST — classic SQL injection. Should use $DB->ForSql() or D7 ORM.
• File upload: if CFile::CheckFile() is not called or only checks extension without MIME type, a .php file will be uploaded via the feedback form.
• dbconn.php and .env — must be blocked by web server rules. Check: curl https://site.ru/bitrix/.settings.php should return 403.

SSL/TLS:

• Rating A or higher via SSL Labs.
• HSTS with max-age of at least 31536000 (one year).
• HTTP -> HTTPS redirect at Nginx level, not at Bitrix level.

Audit result — a prioritized report: Critical / High / Medium / Low. Critical issues are fixed on day one. Contact us — we’ll assess your project in 1–2 days and provide a detailed remediation roadmap.

Healing Hacked Sites — Protocol of Actions

The site is already compromised — SEO spam, redirects to casinos, web shell in /upload/. Order of actions:

1. Isolation — take the site down, put up a placeholder. If malware is encrypting files or spreading, every minute counts.
2. Identify the vector — access logs (access.log), error logs, b_event_log. Look for POST requests to unusual files, requests to /upload/*.php, suspicious user agents.
3. Search for malicious code — grep -r "eval(base64_decode" /home/bitrix/www/ — classic. Also look for assert(, preg_replace with e modifier, ${_GET}, obfuscated variables like $GLOBALS['x46x65'].
4. Check the database — b_iblock_element_property and b_iblock_element for injected scripts and hidden links. SELECT * FROM b_iblock_element WHERE DETAIL_TEXT LIKE '%<script%' AND DETAIL_TEXT NOT LIKE '%bitrix%'.
5. Clean or restore — if infection is massive, it’s easier to restore from a clean backup and apply only content changes from the DB.
6. Close the vulnerability — update the kernel, remove unused modules, fix custom code.
7. Request re-scan — Google Search Console → “Request Review”, Yandex.Webmaster → “I fixed everything”.

Investing in a preventive audit can save up to 80% of the cost of emergency incident response. Guaranteed recovery within 1–3 days for subscription clients.

How to Protect a Bitrix Site from DDoS?

• Cloudflare / DDoS-Guard / Qrator — traffic proxying. L3/L4 attacks are filtered on their side. L7 — through rules and challenge pages. Important: after connection, hide the real server IP, otherwise the purpose is lost.
• Rate limiting on Nginx: limit_req_zone for /bitrix/admin/, /api/, forms. Separate limits for authenticated and anonymous users.
• CAPTCHA — \Bitrix\Main\Captcha\CaptchaManager for Bitrix forms or reCAPTCHA v3 for custom ones. v3 doesn’t annoy users — works in the background.
• Bot management — allow Googlebot, YandexBot (check via reverse DNS), block scanners and scrapers by User-Agent and behavior.

Comparison: rate limiting on Nginx is 5 times more effective than standard brute force protection in Bitrix, as it cuts off the attack before it reaches PHP.

Why Is File Integrity Monitoring Critical?

File integrity check (/bitrix/admin/security_file_verifier.php) — hashes of system files. If someone modifies a file in /bitrix/modules/, the system will notice. Run daily via cron using agent CSecurityFileVerifier::Verify(). Combine with inotify on /upload/ — any new .php file triggers an immediate alert.

Backups — The Last Line of Defense

• Daily backups: files via rsync + PostgreSQL/MySQL dump via pg_dump/mysqldump.
• Store in isolated S3-compatible storage. Key word: isolated. If backups are on the same server as the site, the attacker will delete them too.
• Rotation: daily × 7, weekly × 4, monthly × 12.
• Test restoration — quarterly, restore a backup on a test server. A backup that cannot be restored is just a file on disk.
• Monitoring: if a backup fails — alert in Telegram within an hour.

Monitoring — Detect Before the Client Calls

• Uptime — check every 60 seconds via UptimeRobot / Zabbix / custom script. Alert in Telegram + phone call if downtime > 5 minutes.
• File monitoring — inotify (Linux) or cron + md5sum on critical directories. New .php in /upload/? Alert immediately.
• Malware scanning — AI-BOLIT or ClamAV on schedule. Check both files and database.
• SSL certificate — warning 30/14/7 days before expiry. Let’s Encrypt auto-renews via certbot, but certbot can also fail.
• Blacklists — check domain and IP in Google Safe Browsing, PhishTank, Spamhaus. Being listed means traffic loss.

152-FZ and Personal Data (Russian Law Context)

• HTTPS everywhere — redirect at Nginx level.
• Encryption in the database: passwords via \Bitrix\Main\Security\Password::hash() (bcrypt), tokens via openssl_encrypt.
• Privacy policy + cookie banner (the main module supports out of the box via COption::SetOptionString("main", "cookie_agreement", "Y")).
• Logging access to personal data — who and when viewed client data.

Deliverables

Timelines

We work on a one-time basis and on subscription with a fixed SLA. For subscription clients, a dedicated engineer who knows the project. Get a consultation — we’ll assess risks and prepare a quote in 1–2 days.

Checklist: 15 Items We Check on Every Project

1. 1C-Bitrix kernel and modules — up to date, unused modules removed.
2. security module active, WAF in “Active Reaction” mode.
3. 2FA enabled for all accounts with admin access.
4. /bitrix/admin/ protected by IP or additional HTTP authentication.
5. Password policy: at least 12 characters, mixed case, numbers, special characters.
6. SSL/TLS: A+ rating on SSL Labs, HSTS enabled.
7. Service files (dbconn.php, .settings.php, .env, backups, logs) — 403 from browser.
8. Permissions: 644 files, 755 directories. Web server is not owner of system files.
9. Security headers: Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options: DENY, X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff, Strict-Transport-Security, Referrer-Policy.
10. File integrity check — daily via agent.
11. Backups: daily, isolated storage, restore testing.
12. b_event_log — storage for at least 90 days, regular review.
13. PHP 8.1+, display_errors = Off, dangerous functions disabled.
14. Uptime monitoring + alerts on file changes in /upload/.
15. Reverse proxy or CDN with DDoS protection for high-load projects.

Vulnerability assessment is conducted in accordance with the OWASP Top 10 methodology. Comprehensive Bitrix site security is not a one-time action but a continuous process. Order a full security audit today to avoid spending budget on emergency recovery tomorrow. Contact us for a free consultation — we’ll answer any questions.