SSL - What is it? How to secure your website.
A SSL or Secure Socket Layer was created by Netscape to ensure secure transactions
between a browser collection information and a web server. When collecting personal or payment information from
customers or clients on a web site, it is required that you have a dedicated IP address for your hosting and
installed a secured SSL.
Private information on a website can include personal information, childs information,
SS#, credit card information etc. If you do not have an SSL installed you are providing prime target for
hackers to get personal information about others. This is a start to identity theft, bank account, credit card
or other personal information to be stolen and used.
How to know that your transactions are secure?
Do not take a site for granted that is is secure. An image saying it is secure or a lock
icon is NOT the sure way of knowing your transactions are secure. I have seen this on alot of sites, saying
"secured" but they are in fact NOT.
Normally a website URL stats with the http:// - on a secured page the address
starts with https:// .
This is how it works:
1. A browser requests a secure page (usually https://).
2. The web server sends its public key with its
certificate.
3. The browser checks that the certificate was issued by a trusted party
(usually a trusted root CA), that the certificate is still valid and that the certificate is related to the
site contacted.
4. The browser then uses the public key, to encrypt a random symmetric
encryption key and sends it to the server with the encrypted URL required as well as other encrypted http
data.
5. The web server decrypts the symmetric encryption key using its private
key and uses the symmetric key to decrypt the URL and http data.
6. The web server sends back the requested html document and http data
encrypted with the symmetric key.
7. The browser decrypts the http data and html document using the symmetric
key and displays the information.
Before making a transaction online or entering in your personal information there
are steps to make sure your information is secured.
1. Confirm the page that you are on collecting private information has the https in the
browser address bar.
2. Make sure you check to see if the site has a privacy policy on it and if they collect
private data and distribute it to other companies etc. Yes this happens and yes they can do this if you agree
to those privacy policies and terms and conditions.
Follwing simple rules and common sense online will help your personal information and
the information of your clients and customers stay safe and secure online.
CWEBART
