These days, you can’t turn on the television, pick up a newspaper, browse your
favorite news website, or flip through a magazine without learning about the
latest security threats plaguing online businesses and consumers. And last month’s
disclosure by major credit card companies that over 40 million cards may have been
compromised is evidence that even the leading financial institutions are not immune
to the threats. Clearly, it’s more important than ever to secure your web storefront—to
safeguard your customer’s private information and ultimately protect your bottom line!
As an online store owner, one of the easiest and most responsible things you can do to
secure the data submitted via your site is to implement secure sockets layer or SSL.
SSL to the rescue
The SSL protocol allows client/server applications to communicate in a way designed
to prevent eavesdropping, tampering, and data forgery. SSL protects network access,
online communications, and digital transactions by enabling a secure channel between
your servers and your users. With SSL in place, information transmitted from your
online store (e.g., via web forms) is encrypted before it is sent over the Internet.
When you connect to a secure web server such as https://www.domain.com, the server
authenticates itself to the web browser by presenting a “digital certificate.”
A digital certificate is an electronic file that uniquely identifies individuals
and servers. Digital certificates allow the client (i.e. web browser) to authenticate
the server prior to establishing the encrypted SSL session. Typically, digital certificate requests
are reviewed and approved by an independent and trusted third party to ensure their
validity. This "signer" of the digital certificate is known as a certification authority
(CA). Popular CAs include Geotrust® (www.geotrust.com) and VeriSign® (www.verisign.com).
A valid, signed certificate gives consumers confidence that they are sending personal information securely and to the right place.
Instill confidence
SSL certificates provide non-forgeable proof of your website's identity, and they are a
great way to instill customer confidence in the integrity and security of your online
business.
Without SSL security in place, information is transmitted in “clear text.” This is
practically an open invitation for hackers, script kiddies, and other mischief makers
to use commonly available “packet sniffing” software to snatch the information while
in transit.
Customers are becoming increasingly aware of the advantages of SSL security and will
often (and with good reason) not purchase online from stores that have not implemented
digital certificates and SSL. All major web merchants now use SSL security to encourage
customers to buy online.
Thankfully, all credible e-commerce offerings, including GoECart, provide an option to
secure your site (e.g., secure checkout via https://) through digital certificates.
In GoECart, there is a single setting that needs to be configured once the SSL has been set
for your server/site.
For more information
Two additional resources to help you get better acquainted with SSL, digital
certificates, and e-commerce security are provided below:
