Online shopping security.
Browsers. The
first link in the security chain between you and any online store
is your browser which must be able to encrypt your information.
The best way to do this is to click on the browsers 'About' link;
this is normally found at the bottom of the help menu from the
pull down menus along the top of most programs. In the 'About' box
that appears it should say that there is a cipher strength of 128
bits. If you are using an older browser that shows less than 128
bit encryption you should consider upgrading.
Encryption prevents anyone
from intercepting and reading your information as it passes
through the internet.
When you are on a web page that is requesting any personal
information from you, you should see a little padlock appear at
the bottom of your browser to indicate that your browsers
connection to the site you are viewing is secure and will use
encryption to pass data.
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Look for this padlock on
the right hand side of the status bar of Internet Explorer. |
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Netscape Communicator
has two padlocks; the locked padlock indicates that your
connection is secure. |
Secure Socket Layer; (SSL).
The method of communication that secure
browsers use is called Secure Socket Layer; SSL works by using
encoding/decoding keys to transmit data securely over the
internet. Any web site that requests your personal information
should use this method of security. Again, check that the padlock
icon appears in your browser and that the address bar has changed
from the usual 'http' to 'https'. This indicates that you are now
transmitting data to a secure server that is protecting your
personal information.
