|
|
 |
|
|
SSL Encryption Defined - What is SSL?
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral. SSL is an industry standard and is used by millions of websites in the protection of their online transactions with their customers.
To be able to create an SSL connection a web server requires an SSL Certificate. When you choose to activate SSL on your web server you will be prompted to complete a number of questions about the identity of your website and your company. Your web server then creates two cryptographic keys - a Private Key and a Public Key.
The Public Key does not need to be secret and is placed into a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) - a data file also containing your details. You should then submit the CSR. During the SSL Certificate application process, the Certification Authority will validate your details and issue an SSL Certificate containing your details and allowing you to use SSL. Your web server will match your issued SSL Certificate to your Private Key. Your web server will then be able to establish an encrypted link between the website and your customer's web browser.
The complexities of the SSL protocol remain invisible to your customers. Instead their browsers provide them with a key indicator to let them know they are currently protected by an SSL encrypted session - the lock icon in the lower right-hand corner, clicking on the lock icon displays your SSL Certificate and the details about it. All SSL Certificates are issued to either companies or legally accountable individuals.
Typically an SSL Certificate will contain your domain name, your company name, your address, your city, your state and your country. It will also contain the expiration date of the Certificate and details of the Certification Authority responsible for the issuance of the Certificate. When a browser connects to a secure site it will retrieve the site's SSL Certificate and check that it has not expired, it has been issued by a Certification Authority the browser trusts, and that it is being used by the website for which it has been issued. If it fails on any one of these checks the browser will display a warning to the end user letting them know that the site is not secured by SSL
SSL - a Quick History
In the earlier days of the World Wide Web, 40 bit keys were used. Each bit could contain a one or a zero -- which meant there were 240 different keys available. That's a little over one trillion distinct keys.
Because of the ever-increasing speed of computers, it became apparent that a 40-bit key wasn't secure enough. Conceivably, with the high-end processors that would come available in the future, hackers could evenally try every key until they found the proper one, which would allow them to decrypt and steal private data. It would take some time, but it was possible.
The keys were lengthened to 128 Bits. That's 2128 keys, or 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 unique encryption codes. (That's 340 trillion trillion trillion, for those of you keeping track at home.) It was determined that if computers kept advancing in speed as they have in the past, these 128-bit codes would remain secure for at least another decade, if it not longer. Gemini IT certificates don't stop there though.
Gemini IT SSL Certificates are also compatible with the new AES 256-bit encryption.
SSL and Consumers
Web browsers automatically notify users when connections are insecure. Your potential E-commerce customers are used to secure shopping, and will NOT send their private information unless their browser assures them it's safe to do so!
Without secure SSL Encryption, most of your customers will simply shop elsewhere. You cannot offer secure authentication to your customers without an SSL Certificate.
Cheap SSL Certificates with High Assurance
Inexpensive SSL Certification is often "Low Assurance", with minimal validation. Gemini IT's High Assurance certificates offer the same level of 256 Bit SSL Encryption as the more expensive Certification Authorities, like Verisign, or Thawte.
Why pay More, when you can get SSL Certificates with 256 Bit encryption from Gemini IT for much less?
"Why do I need SSL on my site?"
"People never buy from a salesman they do not trust."
The Internet has successfully created many new global business opportunities for enterprises conducting online commerce. However, that growth has also attracted fraudsters and cyber criminals. Today's fastest growing threat is Phishing. This is where a fraudulent web site impersonating a legitimate businesses attempts to woe unsuspecting visitors into divulging personal information. The increasing awareness to this problem has presented an opportunity to ecommerce providers to capitalise on consumer fears by displaying trust indicators. Just like the real world, people need to be confident before they proceed down an unknown path.
Please tell me what other trust indicators I should use apart from High Assurance SSL
Over the past 10 years, consumer magazines, industry bodies and SSL VPN security providers have educated the market on the basics of online security. The majority of consumers now expect security to be integrated into any online service they use, as a result they expect any details they provide via the Internet to remain confidential and integral.
For many customers, the only time they will ever consider buying your products or services online is when they are satisfied their details are secure. Using an SSL Certificate to secure your online business indicates to your customers you take their security seriously. They will visibly see that their transactions are secure, confidential and integral and it gives them the confidence that you have removed the risk associated with trading over the Internet. Using a High Assurance certificate will also assure them:-
That the website really is who it claims to be. (Now verifiable directly by the browser)
That credit card numbers, are encrypted and cannot be intercepted.
That the data sent and received cannot be tampered with or forged. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
