Are you looking to buy your next pair of sneakers online? Surfing the amazon or ebay and looking for a good deal? Or maybe looking to buy jewelry at an online shop for your wedding anniversary? Whatever it is you plan on buying you should know that purchasing goods (virtual or physical) online has always been an issue.
Webmasters and programmers have been putting their heads together for decades and a long time ago, they invented something called SSL technology. SSL means Secure Socket Layer, we won’t go into how SSL exactly works, but you need to know that it exists and that it should be in use on the all online shops these days.
If SSL is not being used on a certain website, that means that you should not be making any types of online purchase on that website. You should not trust a website that does not use this technology because it is the most important line of defense separating between your fragile credentials and the darker sides on the menacing web.
What is SSL? – In a Nutshell
SSL is the safest way to transfer data between your computer, the bank and the server that is receiving your credentials and selling you something. If the data is not being sent through an SSL connection, then it is at risk and eventually someone may get their hands on your personal data – be it a credit card number or account username and password. SSL is crucial in these situations.
How To Know That You Are Safe?
A website using Secure Socket Layer technology will have an HTTPS protocol on all of their web pages or at least on their payment pages. This can be seen in the browser address (the address will start with HTTPS) and there will usually also be a symbol of a padlock near the protocol, showing that the site is secure.
Furthermore, if you click on the padlock symbol you can usually see the SSL certificate number and read the certificate number and type. One of the popular technologies is called RAPID SSL. Websites that deal with large numbers of online transactions will always use RAPID SSL as it is faster.
What Kinds of websites Use SSL?
Nowadays ALL websites that receive money transfers of any kind should be using SSL! Be it ecommerce shops (amazon, dealextreme ect’) or websites that sell special products online or virtual products such as LottoLeader (online lottery tickets) or godaddy (domains and hosting). Any website that is selling something should be using SSL or it should not be trusted!
If you don’t know enough about this important shopping technology and about the dangers of shopping online, then you should be glad that you stopped by to read this post today as you now will know what to look for in order to make sure that your online shopping is safe and secure.
