Why Should I Only Trust A Website With SSL Encryption?

It seems that the world revolves around the internet these days, with about ninety five percent of daily life somehow relating to computers and internet use in some way. Bank transactions, shopping, family updates, and even wills and trusts can be done online. SSL encryption ensures that secure information is kept safe. The SSL certificate is free to obtain, which means that webmasters and website developers do not risk losing anything in order to have the certificate. If a webmaster or web developer does not have an SSL certificate, they risk losing business, web traffic, and their integrity.

SSL encryption protects sensitive information as it is transmitted on the internet. SSL certificates work by providing a mixing up the words, letters, and numbers entered over a secure connection. Thieves cannot do anything with this information, assuming that they are able to see it in the first place. That means that when a consumer makes an online purchase, an unscrupulous hacker cannot steal their credit card number. SSL certs also protect bank account numbers, addresses, national insurance numbers, and the like Consumers on an SSL protected site know that their information is safe, and that they can browse with confidence. SSL certificates contain two keys. One is private and one is public. A private key will unscramble all information that the public key has scrambled. This is only half of the story.

SSL certs also authenticate both the website and the client. Authentication is crucial. SSL certificates are created for verified businesses and specific domains. These certificates are like having a birth certificate and social security card when applying for an identification card. It ensures that the website is owned by the company that is represented on the website. It is the same as sharing your birth date and with your doctor versus sharing that same information with a complete stranger.

SSL security provides as much piece of mind for the company as it does for the consumer. SSL certificates ensure that a company will not be responsible for contacting clients and informing them that their information has been stolen. It helps a company preserve its reputation and its integrity. It also makes it harder for hackers to steal information by going into company files. It ensures companies that the internet is not only safe for their clients, but that it is safe for the companies themselves. It costs nothing to get an SSL certificate, so there is no risk in adding one to a website. The bigger risk would be in operating, or doing business, on a website without security.

Top 5 Reasons to Check Website Security   Why Ignoring IDS Could Lead to Substantial Damage for Businesses   

Should We Be Hacked Off With Hackers?

These stories tap into the very real and personal fear that we are being watched. None of us are safe. Everyone on the internet is out to get us in one way or another.

The media is very good at feeding this fear, reporting incidents that will shock and choosing to ignore others that don't have the intimidation factor. Did you know, for example, that your details are far more likely to be compromised by someone leaving a USB memory stick on a train than by a website being hacked?

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse claims that 180,000,000 individual records (including names, addresses and credit card information relating to members of the public) were compromised in 2005, in breaches caused by the loss or improper disposal of paper records, portable devices and desktop PCs. In comparison, 631 records were compromised through hacking activity or malware during this same period.

In the past 2 months, we have heard how hackers have targeted LinkedIn, Yahoo Voices and Formspring, obtaining and posting millions of user passwords online. What seems to be glossed over, though, is the fact that many of the hackers have targeted these sites to show their owners how easy they are to breach. Several groups have claimed that their actions are meant as a 'wake up call' rather than a threat. Obviously, there are hackers who sell the details they obtain or use them for malicious reasons, such as emptying PayPal or online bank accounts, but many of them don't.

In reality, we are the biggest threat to our online security, because we don't choose strong enough passwords when we sign up for things. The ideal password should be 8 or more characters long, and should contain at least one number and one capital letter. Nearly every website that uses a password system tells us this or similar information, yet the 3 most popular passwords that were stolen from LinkedIn were "link," "1234" and "work." Hardly difficult to guess given the context of the site ("sex" and "dragon" were also popular, but we'll avoid those).

Of course, the more difficult your password is to guess, the more difficult it will be for someone to hack your account personally, but what happens when an entire website gets hacked, and not just your part of it? It's frustrating because, realistically, there's nothing you can do about it. If the owners of the website don't have a tight enough security system in place, chances are your details are going to be compromised.

Because of this, it could be argued that one benefit of hacking is that it makes websites tighten up their security. LinkedIn have now introduced further levels of password encryption to protect their users' data. Formspring disabled all accounts until the issue had been dealt with, and asked all members to change their passwords. Small changes, but they act as a major deterrent.

It is important not to over or underestimate the threat hackers pose. Yes, be as sensible online as possible, but don't live in fear. Choose complex passwords and be careful what you sign up for. If you're unsure, research. Knowledge is power, after all.

Top 5 Reasons to Check Website Security   Why Ignoring IDS Could Lead to Substantial Damage for Businesses