Introduction to SSL

Certificate Authority (CA)

— A Certificate Authority is a trusted third-party organization that issues digital certificates such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificates after verifying the information included in the Certificates.

Encryption

— Encryption is the process of scrambling a message so that only the intended audience has access to the information. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology establishes a private communication channel where data can be encrypted during online transmission, protecting sensitive information from electronic eavesdropping.

Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificate

— Requires a high standard for verification of Secure Sockets (SSL) Certificates dictated by a third party, the CA/Browser Forum. In Microsoft® Internet Explorer 7 and other popular high security browsers, Web sites secured with Extended Validation SSL Certificates cause the URL address bar to turn green.

HTTPS

— Web pages beginning with "https" instead of "http" enable secure information transmission via the protocol for secure http. “Https” is one measure of security to look for when sending or sharing confidential information such as credit card numbers, private data records, or business partner data.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Technology

— SSL and its successor, transport layer security (TLS), use cryptography to provide security for online transactions. SSL uses two keys to encrypt and decrypt data − a public key known to everyone and a private or secret key known only to the recipient of the message.

SSL Certificate

— A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate incorporates a digital signature to bind together a public key with an identity. SSL Certificates enable encryption of sensitive information during online transactions, and in the case of organizationally validated Certificates, also serve as an attestation of the Certificate owner’s identity.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate is the World Standard for Web Security. SSL technology confronts the potential problems of unauthorized viewing of confidential information, data manipulation, data hijacking, phishing, and other insidious Web site scams by encrypting sensitive data so that only authorized recipients can read it. In addition to preventing tampering with sensitive information, SSL helps provide your Web site’s users with the assurance of having accessed a valid Web site. Support for SSL is built into all major operating systems, Web applications, and server hardware—meaning that SSL’s powerful encryption technology helps provide your business with a system-wide, liability limiting security blanket for fortifying consumer confidence, boosting the percentage of completed transactions, and enriching the “bottom line.”