SSL & WEB SECURITY

The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol was developed by NetScape Communications to provide a secure communications channel between a browser and server. All information passed back and forth is encrypted to ensure that no one, barring perhaps a major spy agency, can intercept it. SSL is now supported by all major browsers and is the generally accepted means of providing secure commerce on the net. NetScape provides the following overview of SSL:

SSL provides:

• server authentication, which allows any SSL-compatible client to verify the identity of the server using a certificate and a digital signature;
  

• data encryption, which ensures the privacy of client-server communications by encrypting the data stream between the two entities;
  
• and data integrity, which verifies that the contents of a message arrive at their destination in the same form as they were sent.

Note that an important feature of SSL is that it allows you to be sure you are actually dealing with the server you intend to. Certification authorities provide, for a fee, companies like Ifield Park a digital certificate that ensures no one can pretend to be us. Your browser should let you check this certificate. For instance on the MS Internet Explorer, right click on this page, select properties and then the Security tab. You should see certificate information confirming that you are indeed talking to the Ifield Park server. With NetScape the same thing can be accomplished with the by selecting View/Document Info from the menu bar.

Even without secure servers, your credit card information is probably safer crossing the Web than it is when you buy a meal at a restaurant. While nothing is absolutely secure, the danger of your credit card information being intercepted during a SSL transaction is extremely small.

If you want to know more about Internet Security try typing 'Internet security' into your favorite search engine, this should provide you with more than enough information.

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