Security for Online Shopping: The Importance of HTTPS

Online security is more and more important in today's world. Many people don't understand what websites are secure and which ones are not. With a degree in Web Database Administration, I can help give you some background information on how to ensure the information you are inputting online is indeed a secure website.

Security Online

Most importantly, when you are ensuring that a website is indeed secure, you must first recognize that until you input your credit card number it is not important for a website to be secure. Since a majority of online websites use third party vendors for their secure socket layer (An overly simplistic definition of "secure socket layer is the "s" in https.), it is important to wait until the vendor requests payment information (like paypal user name and password or a credit card) until you check to see if the page is secure. On the website page your payment information is requested, check for the "https" at the tops of the page.

HTTPS

One thing you can look for is "https". This is a good indication as to whether or not a website is securely processing your information over the internet.

Errors

Another thing most people don't know to look for is whether or not there are errors on the page. If in the lower left hand corner there is an explanation point in a yellow triangle, DO not input your payment information. This is true whether or not you see a lock or "https" (indicating the website has a secure socket layer). The error indicates that although the website may have a secure socket layer or lock, it may be improperly installed. If the secure socket layer is improperly installed, it does not matter whether or not the website has a secure socket layer or not, your information may still be compromised.

Why Website Security is Important

Website security is important because it protects your information from identity theft and fraud. The secure socket layer ensures that only the company and yourself will have access to the information you type in. Although it is important to check for https whenever you are entering your payment information or for that matter your social security number online, it is also imperative to be running a good anti-virus program on your machine. The reason you need to do this is because if you have a virus on your machine predators of your payment information will be able to see everything you type into your computer. Therefore, in these cases it does not matter whether or not the website itself has "https", if your machine has a program "secretly installed" on it by a virus, you could be giving all of your information to the public. This is the reason it is a good idea NOT to keep your financial information such as credit card numbers, bank account information or social security numbers on your machine. Keep these numbers in your head or in a safe place off of your computer for added protection. It is the best way to keep the information safe from the wrong hands.