Security of Online Shopping
We want your shopping experience
to be enjoyable and secure. The purchase area of our site is secure.
This means that any information you send us is protected by encryption.
The industry has developed technology that can scramble sensitive information, such as your
credit card number, so that it can be read only by the merchant you are dealing with and
your credit card issuer. This ensures that your payment information cannot be read by
anyone else or changed along the way. There are several ways to determine if you have
that protection when you are sending payment information on the web.
- Look for the picture of the unbroken key or closed lock in your browser window.
Either one indicates that the security is operative. A broken key or any open lock
indicates it is not.
- Look to see if the web address on the page that asks for your credit card
information begins with "https:" instead of "http."
- Some web sites use the words "Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)" or a pop
up box that says you are entering a secure area.
(information provided by www.safeshopping.org)
What is an SSL Certificate and How Does it Work?
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the transaction security protocol
used by websites to protect online communications.
The most
common use of SSL is to provide protection for confidential
data, such as personal details or credit card information,
entered into a website.
The SSL Certificate provides two primary functions:
-
SSL Encryption allows data to be transmitted over computer
networks in a secure manner
-
Identity Assurance (validation) allows the business running
the site to 'prove' that they are who they claim to be
Once a secure transaction is initiated, (i.e. click the Submit
or Buy button to begin a transaction on a website), there are
four basic steps taken to establish a secure connection:
-
The browser checks the SSL Certificate to make sure that it is
valid and that the site you are connecting to is legitimate.
-
Data encryption levels are established based on what the
browser and website server can both use to understand each
other.
-
The browser and server send each other unique codes to use
when encrypting the information that will be sent.
-
The browser and server start talking using the encryption, the
Web browser shows the encrypting icon, and the Web pages and
information are processed securely.
(information provided by Network Solutions)