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Secure Digital Certificates
- Why are they important
When you are surfing the web your web browser is converting web pages written
in HTML to a format that can be viewed. By typing in an web address (i.e. www.example.com)
or clicking on a click you are requesting a web page from a remote web server.
This request from your browser to the remote web server is most often unencrypted.
This means that the actual request sent is in plain text, just like the text
written on this page. If some malicious user was able to intercept
this information then it would be very easy for them to know where you are going
and what you are requesting. However, when visiting most web sites this doesn't
matter because you are viewing public information. But if you are
making a credit card transaction and you don’t want anyone to know your credit
card number or expiration date you will want to know the information has been
encrypted for the transmission. That is the purpose of a digital certificate
to encrypt the data so it can only be read by the web server.
A digital certificate is purchased by a merchant who has a shopping cart. It
is used to protect their customers from the above mentioned scenario. A digital
certificate is purchased from a Certificate Authority (CA) who validates the
merchant’s identity
by doing background checks. When a digital certificate is issued and installed
on a web server that contains the shopping cart is has two fundamental purposes.
1. To prove that the company and the web server identity who owns the shopping cart is who they say they are.
2. To offer protection of the data (credit card info) submitted from the clients
browser to the web server where the purchase takes place.
Through encryption protection is offered. If for any reason, the transmitted
information is intercepted and read it will look like a string of nonsense characters,
undecipherable by humans or computers. Encryption can range from 40 bits up to
128 bits. Bit are the amount of uniqueness that the transactions will
be encrypted to. The higher the number of bits, the stronger the encryption.
Obtaining a digital certificate can be a lengthy process. It requires submitting
personal information for approval and the many steps that follow to prove your
identity. Once a certificate is issued, it must be installed on the web server.
This process will require web technology expertise and may even require that
the web server be restarted. It is suggested that you find a qualified ecommerce
web development firm or consultant to assist you in this process.
Next, tips on taking the next step.
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