Legions of websites encourage you to shop on their site or to use their credit card or to pay your bills online. While it is enjoyable and convenient to shop or pay bills online, it is important to know if a site is secure before you type in your personal information. You want to be sure your transaction is protected by the Secure Socket Layers (SSL) protocol. This protocol is a Payment Card Industry standard for securing websites. Companies use SSL to keep your information encrypted and authenticated so third parties (people who would like to steal your data) cannot see what you send to the secure site. There are several ways to tell if a website is using SSL.
Look for the letter S to be added to the standard http in the address line in your search engine. A secure web address looks like https where “S” represents “Secure.” This indicates the site is using SSL on the server so it is safer for you to add your personal information on this site. Some commercial companies use a non-secure website for you to browse their products. When you go to pay for something, they then switch over to a secure website for payment information.
Check for a yellow padlock or key icon on the webpage. These symbols also indicate the website is using SSL. In Internet Explorer, the padlock or key appears to the right of the address box while in Firefox the padlock or key appears in the address line. Firefox also indicates secure transactions by adding a yellow highlight to secure addresses. Sometimes the padlock or key will also appear in the bottom of the window.
Click on the yellow padlock or key for an additional check on the level of security. These icons represent a certificate of authenticity for a website. Internet certification authority companies like Verisign and Equifax Secure issue certificates to websites which meet industry standards. When you click on the icon, it should display more information about the website’s encryption and authentication information. You can click on “View Certificates” to see more information about the website and whether it matches with the address being used.
Spoofed and fake websites creators are becoming very innovative in making their sites look like commercial sites. Even fake sites can be encrypted, so having a “secure” connection is not any guarantee that the web site is legitimate. In addition to checking the address and for icons, try clicking in links and other images on the websites to see where you go on the website. Also look carefully at the address line and make sure it is spelled correctly. If the address line is not similar to the web site name, the site could be a copy of a legitimate site.
According to OnGuardOnline, another check of the security of the site is a phone number and physical address for the company so you can call or visit the company.