Before you enter any sensitive information(credit card detail) on a website it is important it check if the site has a digital SSL certificate. Some SSL include VeriSign, Thawte or Comodo but there are many more certificate.

A valid secure site will display a golden padlock at the bottom right hand side of the page and if you click on the padlock it will include the following information:

• Validity dates of the certificate
• Website address for which the certificate was issued
• The certificate owner's name
• The owner's physical location

If a website doesn't have an SSL certificate you will see the icon of a small unlocked golden padlock along the bottom of your browser window.

Website security

If you have an online store with a password protected area a digital security certificate is a necessity(SSL). This certificate ensures that no sensitive information can be viewed by unauthorized users.

Before buying from an online store users want to know who exactly will be receiving their personal information(credit card detail) they are sending to the website. They also want to be sure that none of this information can be intercepted by hackers trying to "break into" secure areas of the Internet.

An SSL (Secure Socket Layers) certificate is used to authenticate websites. These certificates are non-forgeable and are digitally signed by a trusted third party like VeriSign, Thawte or Comodo.

These certificate are also known as Certification Authorities. They verify that the company requesting the certificate is who it claims to be. You can view this certificate by clicking on the gold padlock at the bottom right hand corner.

These certificates form an integral part of the protocol that regulates security on your website. This digital certificate needs to be installed before a secure connection can be made between the site and a user's Internet browser.

An SSL scrambles all this information into a string of random characters using a complex encryption technique. It provides users with peace of mind when buying online and it is doubtful that anyone will be able to get around this highly sophisticated online security.

DesignWorld will deal with the process of obtaining your SSL certificate when developing your e-commerce store.

If you're interested in online internet security or any of the other services we offer, please contact us in JHB on (011) 623-2555, Fax us on (011)623-2078 or you can email us for a free consultation.