Easy Way To Increase Website Security
If you shopped online before or inquired about a particular service on a business website, then you’re already aware what kind of information you’re sharing. From your primary personal information such as your name, contact info, and address to more sensitive information such as bank and credit card accounts, online businesses are mandated in guaranteeing the best security they can offer.
One of the many important ways business websites can increase website security on their website is through SSL Certificates. In fact, SSL certificates are becoming the web standard for websites with all major web browsers now introducing features right in the address bar that will mark a website “Secure” or “Not Secure”. The browser updates have created an issue for many small business website owners as their website's are being labeled as “Not Secure” and it is potentially costing them business from visitors who are afraid to interact with the website.
What Is An SSL Certificate?
SSL (Secure sockets layer) Certificates is a form of security that encrypts sensitive information through some tech wizardry and provides a secure connection between the user and the website servers. Below is more information on what SSL Certificates actually do and why it’s considered to be an crucial aspect in site security.
How Does It Encrypt Your Information?
SSL Certificates encrypt information by adding random and nonsensical characters to your information. If any hacker or suspicious third party happens to intercept the encrypted information, unless they have access to the proper encryption code, then the stolen information will be rendered useless and totally unreadable thus protecting the sensitive data.
Identifying SSL Certificates
It is likely that you come across SSL Certificates every time you either shop online or visit a business website but maybe you just don’t happen to notice it. Don’t feel bad cause they’re hard to notice unless you know where you should look. From time to time, you might come across a green padlock symbol next to a web address in web browsers such as Google Chrome, there’s also a green ‘Secure text’ next to the padlock symbol. Try hovering over it and clicking it with your mouse pointer so you can see the details of the SSL Certificate. Another method of finding a website with an authentic SSL Certificate is to look at the web address itself. Instead of the usual hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) you see in many web addresses, a SSL Certified side instead incorporates another version of the HTTP known as hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) Pretty reassuring right? Don’t believe me? Try checking Amazon. Look to see if there’s a green padlock symbol and check the details of the SSL Certificate. If it’s there, then you can reassure yourself that you’ve been using the official Amazon website and that your sensitive information is safe.
Encrypting Payment Details
Now that you know what an SSL certificate looks like and what it does, do you need extra assurance that your sensitive information is safe? For businesses to accept online payments, they must first meet the standards of the Payment Card Industry, which is having an SSL certified site with at least 128 bit encryption. 128 Bit is an encryption method that encrypts data to a sequence of 2128. In layman’s terms, the encrypted data will consist of 128 0’s and 1’s. The probabilities of finding the correct binary pattern of 128 characters is so unfeasible that it’s actually considered unbreakable with the technology we have today.
Can Any Website Install A SSL Certificate?
Yes, an SSL certificate is available to any website owner that goes through the correct issuance procedures. To acquire a SSL certificate, website owners must file file a Certificate Signing Request (CSR). During this process, your website will undergo company and domain validation to ensure proper authenticity. After the confirmation process of your CSR, your website is then allowed to install a SSL certificate. This ensures that only legitimate and secure website will have the SSL certificate symbol and a web address utilizing HTTPS.
Reassuring Customers and Site Visitors
Having an SSL certificate is a prime method of boosting customer confidence and trust. Online businesses will often times see their traffic increase once customers are assured that their sensitive information is properly secure and that their website is a safe space in sharing sensitive information. Cyberspace is undoubtedly a place full of mischievous and skilled hackers so having something as simple as a SSL certificate can contribute a great deal to a business’s brand and the trust customers have of that brand.
