#BusinessEnhancementTips
04 – Its now the HTTPS era and SSL is mandatory for websites
We are now in the HTTPS era and SSL has been made compulsory for all websites
The Internet of Things has changed the way businesses and consumers think about security. According to identity theft protection services provider Lifelock, research confirms that one in four people have experienced identity theft. When you build a website for your business, you have to take rigorous steps to protect your company and the data that you collect from customers.
Defending yourself against malicious code designed to damage your hardware or software and cyber thieves who are looking for data to sell on the black market is challenging. It’s hard to know where to start, but one thing every business can do to protect their clients is to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates.
What is SSL?
SSL is an electronic protocol that helps make communications over computer networks secure by ensuring that the content provided originates from a verified sender. In other words, when you interact with a favorite online retailer, like Amazon, or a payment processor, like PayPal, you can be confident that you are dealing with that company and not an impostor.
WHY SSL?
Because the browsers now require HTTPS connections
Why do I need SSL now?
To ensure a secure Internet and Web experience, earlier in the year 2017, the browsers have made encryption mandatory & SSL certificates are now a requirement for all websites. The browsers – led by Google and Mozilla – have mandated all sites be served with encryption via HTTPS. To accomplish this transition the browsers have created new security warnings. A Secure / Not Secure binary that labels sites based on their SSL implementation.
How Can Consumers Tell if a Website is Certified?
The most common applications are for payment transactions, email, data transfer, and user logon protocol. Users want to know that data is encrypted in order to protect against unauthorized access. They also want to know when they visit a website, especially when making online purchases, that the company has carefully investigated third-party players.
Here are some signs that a page is using SSL certification.
- The address bar will have a green background color to indicate a higher level of security vetting, called Extended Validation. Some addresses include the name of the SSL authentication service.
- A tiny padlock appears on the left-hand side of the browser bar. If there isn’t a padlock, or the symbol is “broken,” visitors will know that the company isn’t using SSL. If you want to know more about the type of certificate attached to a webpage, click on the tiny lock and a pop up will appear that provides information about the company associated with the website.
- You’ll find an SSL image, typically at the bottom of the webpage. Custom images are available, but most contain a padlock, “SSL” or “Security,” and other information that indicates a certificate.
- The URL starts with “https” to indicate that you are connected through a secure server. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) is a system for transmitting data on the web, and the “s” at the end is the security indicator. Http was the standard before websites started transmitting confidential information (such as credit card data).
Benefits of SSL Certification
All consumers expect their information to be protected when they shop online for products and services. Displaying SSL certification symbols indicates that your enterprise is concerned about identity theft and online security—which is essential for building trust with your customers.
Its suggested that companies who don’t invest in SSL certification may be at a disadvantage compared to those who maintain SSL certification, especially where organic search is concerned.
Trusted Certificate Authorities:
What kind of SSL certificate does a business need?
Let’s break it down this way, there are three validation levels and four kinds of certificate.
3 Validation Levels
Then there are four different kinds of SSL Certificates
- Single Domain: Secures one domain
- Multi-Domain: Secures up to 250 domains
- Wildcard: Secures one domain and unlimited accompanying sub-domains
- Multi-Domain Wildcard: Secures up to 250 domains and unlimited accompanying sub-domains