A Quick Guide to Understanding SSL
If customers are going to do business on your website, they want the assurance that your
site is safe and secure. There are countless examples of people that have fallen prey to online hackers, who steal their credit card numbers and other personal information. Your customers don’t want to become a statistic, and setting up site security is the only way to ensure they are protected. That’s where SSL comes in.
What is SSL?
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is the security technology used by websites to protect the integrity of online transactions. SSL is used to set up an encrypted link between the web server and the browser. An SSL Certificate is required to enable an SSL connection.
What is an SSL Certificate?
An SSL Certificate is a digital certificate that allows you to use SSL encryption technology on your site. It verifies your identity to visitors to your site, and confirms the legitimacy of your business.
How do I obtain an SSL Certificate?
An SSL certificate is available from a Certificate Authority (CA), which is an entity that performs the necessary checks on the company making the application. SSL certificates are available from CAs such as Symantec, as well as from some domain hosting companies.
How can I tell if a site is secure?
This is usually indicated by a padlocked icon in the address bar, and the URL begins with ‘https’ and not ‘http.’ The ‘s’ indicates that the site is secure. Websites with Extended Validation (EV) are the most secure. In addition to the padlocked icon, the address bar on these sites is green in colour.
Why you need SSL
SSL encrypts data that enters or exits you site. This means that the data is coded and cannot be deciphered without a password or secret code. Therefore the sensitive information your customers send from their computer to your web server, is unreadable to everyone else, as it is decrypted using your private key.
Customers using your e-commerce site expect it to be secured with SSL. They may well leave your site if it is not secured, so be sure you are SSL enabled.
In today’s business, website security is a necessity. To look at how you can protect and enhance your website, contact MyITHub on 1300 769 640 Today!
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