mRELEVANCE Announces How to Make Websites Secure
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) October 06, 2016 -- mRELEVANCE announces research on shoppers and online security. The agency found that most online shoppers today are aware of the importance of safe and secure e-commerce and internet browsing, and they know to look for that easily recognizable address bar padlock and green-shaded address bar signifying HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure).
Websites that run any type of e-commerce, and collect personal or financial information absolutely need SSL/TLS encryption.
It all boils down to trust. Do website visitors trust a company's site enough to visit it, give the company their information and/or place an order? According to a survey conducted by GlobalSign:
• 75 percent of website visitors are aware of security risks when visiting a website.
• 77 percent of website visitors are concerned that their personal data could be intercepted or misused online.
• 55 percent worry about identity theft on the internet.
• 29 percent of customers look for the green bar before making a purchase or releasing sensitive information.
Using HTTPS and either and SSL or TLS Certificate with its lock icon or green bar increases the chance that a website visitor will trust a company's site. And, increased trust leads to increased leads and sales.
There are two types of encrypted HTTPS used today -- SSL and TLS. Many times they are both referred to as SSL, but there are differences between the two.
SSL
Secure Sockets Layer, one of the most common security protocols today, allows website owners to encrypt sensitive information like credit card numbers, passwords and personal identifying information, when it is sent from a site visitor’s computer to the business owner’s server. SSL is necessary because information sent from computer to computer is usually in a format that anyone can see and understand. But with SSL, that information is sent in a way that only the intended recipient can access. Sending information without SSL is like walking down a busy street wearing a t-shirt with a credit card number printed on it, or mailing a letter with a bank account number written on the outside of the envelope, along with contact information and a birthdate. If that information was public, anyone could do whatever they wanted with it! But SSL makes it so that personal information isn’t “readable” by anyone other than the intended recipient. This protects online customers from hackers and identity thieves.
TLS
Transport Layer Security, like SSL, provides secure communications for email, data transfers and other sensitive information. TLS will be the successor of SSL. This is because the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council has mandated the migration from SSL to TLS for sites to be completed by June 30, 2018. There are minor differences between SSL 3.0 and TLS 1.0, but the protocol remains similar. Protocol allows the server and client to authenticate each other and to negotiate an encryption algorithm and cryptographic keys before data is exchanged. In a typical scenario, only the server is authenticated and its identity is ensured while the client remains unauthenticated. The mutual authentication of the servers requires public key deployment to clients. When a server and client communicate, TLS protocol ensures that third parties cannot eavesdrop, tamper with any message or forge a message.
Companies need HTTPS
Companies with any type of e-commerce that collect private data, including credit card information, need HTTPS. Customers expect companies to protect their personal information (especially since big fiascos like Target). In fact, a business’ reputation counts on it taking the necessary steps to ensure a safe online transaction with its customers.
Websites that include a login form should also have HTTPS, this is for two main reasons. First, a hacker could steal the login information and impersonate a site visitor, but more importantly, potentially gain access to visitors’ logins for other sites, since many people use the same usernames and passwords on multiple sites.
Social media sites also often make use of HTTPS to protect the information shared by users on those sites.
In addition to protecting sensitive information, SSL/TLS certificates increase Google rankings, build customer trust and improve conversion rates.
SSL/TLS Certificate
SSL/TLS Certificates are data files that once downloaded and properly configured on a web server will initiate secure connections between website visitors and the site. Here is where it gets a little complicated. In addition to encrypting information, a proper certificate provides authentication ensuring that the information gets delivered to the right server and not a hacker’s server. SSL/TLS connections are set up using two pieces of data: a public key and a private key. The public key allows anyone to send information but it can only be opened with the private key. The public key identifies the server and the owner of the certificate (the business/organization name and location).
Certificate Authority
Certificate Authorities, issue SSL/TLS certificates to companies that have gone through verification checks. Certificate Authorities are trusted providers that issue digital certificates to organizations and individuals. The certificate authority verifies an organization’s credentials and certifies that they are who they claim to be, and will sign its public key. These providers are third-party audited and verified by web browser manufacturers, who are essentially letting web users browse safely, knowing that the certificate authority has properly checked out the organization. Each certificate authority offers their own products, prices, features, etc. There are different types of certificates with varying features and levels of assurances, requiring different levels of validation. Shared certificates are available for sites that need a relatively low level of security, however, those do not provide as much assurance to visitors because it will not include the business name and may display a warning to visitors.
It REALLY is secure
Could all of this be futile, since many now know that SSL can be cracked, following the 2013 Edward Snowden disclosure that the U.S. National Security Agency had secretly developed the ability to break or circumvent Internet encryption and has done so? No. mRELEVANCE has learned that SSL encryption works, and it is really important for protecting consumers. Guidance, recommendations and processes around certificates and encryption have improved, helping to reduce the likelihood and impact of a compromise of consumer data. It is a company's best defense against criminals. With more and more sites starting to move to TLS, security is even better.
HTTPS improves Google rankings
On April 1, 2011 (no fooling), Google announced that they would start to crawl, index and store data about SSL certificates they found on the web. Three years later on June 16, 2014, Google called for HTTPS Everywhere. Following that on August 6, 2014, Google announced that HTTPS would be a ranking factor in search engine results. Having HTTPS will give a site small ranking benefits or a boost. Currently, this is a small boost as it carries much less weight than other signals such as high-quality content. However, Google alludes to the fact that they might decide to increase the strength of this signal in the future to keep everyone safe on the web. Google updated Google Webmaster Tools to better handle HTTPS for sites and reporting on HTTPS. Make sure that a move from HTTP to HTTPS is implemented correctly. Avoid the noindex robots meta tag and allow pages to be indexed by the search engines when possible.
Contact mRELEVANCE today to learn more about HTTPS, SSL and TLS at http://www.MarketingRELEVANCE.com or 849-259-7312.
About Marketing RELEVANCE: mRELEVANCE, LLC creates relevant marketing and communications that reach audiences with focused and strategic messages. Through technology and creative content, messages are delivered to target markets to encourage customer action and interaction.
With offices in Atlanta and Chicago, mRELEVANCE can connect your company with buyers and build relevant relationships nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.MarketingRELEVANCE.com, Like us on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/mRELEVANCE, Follow us on Twitter at @mRELEVANCE or call 770-383-3360 or 847-259-7312.
Melissa Stocks, mRELEVANCE, LLC, http://marketingrelevance.com/who-we-are/team, +1 770-383-3360 Ext: 21, [email protected]
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