What are SSL or TLS Certificates? An Explanation of Web Security Protocols for ECommerce Sites

ECommerce and Shopping Cart Security: What Are SSL/TLS Certificates

We’ve all seen it before . . . when we go to a website with a secure connection, there is a little lock in the bottom right corner of our browser. It usually shows up on shopping sites or other places where we might be sending secure information through the web.

What is it and what exactly does that lock mean? These sites are equipped with SSL or TLS certificates. According to webopedia:

(pronounced as separate letters) Short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. SSL uses a cryptographic system that uses two keys to encrypt data − a public key known to everyone and a private or secret key known only to the recipient of the message. Both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer support SSL, and many Web sites use the protocol to obtain confidential user information, such as credit card numbers.By convention, URLs that require an SSL connection start with https: instead of http:.

Back when I talked about gaining user trust with a privacy policy, I mentioned that it is imperative that your user be comfortable giving you their credit card, and they MUST trust your site. Having a SSL connection usually does the trick! Hackers have a much more difficult time stealing encrypted data then stealing non-secure, non-encrypted information.

NOTE: TLS or Transport Layer Security is a more up-to-date version of SSL

For a more detailed explanation of the SSL /TLS process (technical explanation) check out these links:
What is SSL and what are Certificates?
Transport Layer Security (Wikipedia Definition)

We now know that it is imperative for any ecommerce site to have either SSL or TLS, but how do we go about doing that? I don’t know, but once I find out I’ll let you know. I will share with you the various companies that I find offering SSL or TLS certificates, and will do my part to compare them. In addition, once I find someone I’m happy with, I will also share the process to install a certificate on your server.

Stay tuned!