All
registrations on this site on done handled over a Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
line.
What is SSL?
SSL is a protocol designed by Netscape Communications Corporation to
provide secure communications on the Internet. SSL does three things:
SSL authenticates that the server you've connected to is the one it
purports to be.
SSL creates a secure communication channel by encrypting all
communication between the user and the server.
SSL conducts a cryptographic word count to ensure data integrity
between the server and the user. The word count or checksum provides a
count of the number of bytes in a document and ensures the exact
number of bytes is transmitted and received. With SSL, even this
checksum is encrypted so it cannot be modified. If a message is not
received in its entirety, it is rejected and another copy of the
message is sent automatically.
How can I tell when a web site is secure?
You can tell if you are in a secure area two ways. First, check the web
address that you have accessed. If you are in a secure area, the address
will appear as https://www.
Notice the "s" in the
address. This means that you have accessed a secure server. Second, if you
are using Netscape 4.0, Microsoft 3.0 or higher, check for the picture of
a lock in the lower right hand corner of your browser's application
window. If the lock is closed you are in a secure area. For Netscape 3.0,
look for a solid key in the same area.
Is it safe for me to enter my credit card number over the Internet?
As reported in a recent Knight-Ridder News Service article (which
appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer), "In 1997, there were no
reports of credit-card information stolen on the World Wide Web during a
transfer of information over a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) line, the kind of
line used by Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer. There were no
slip-ups. None." In the same article, Russell Bodoff, general manager
of the Better Business Bureau Online (http://www.bbbonline.com/), stated that consumers need
to understand "that the Internet is a safe, reliable place to conduct
business."
In a Washington Post article, David Medine of the Federal Trade
Commission suggested that it is much safer to transmit your credit card
number over the Internet than to give it to a waiter at a restaurant or
read it aloud over a cordless phone -- two activities that are generally
taken for granted as safe.
