CYBER SECURITY: WHY BUSINESSES SHOULD BUY SSL ...

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Internet ? in its very basic application ? represents an insecure conduit for exchanging information. This consequently raises the question on how to prevent the high risk of deceit or fraud being propagated through the medium. With increasing amount of transactions being carried online, it is important to ensure threat mitigation measures are put in place. It is always better to be safe than sorry. To date, different techniques have been employed to protect the transfer of key data, among them is to buy SSL certificate.

The concept of secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate was developed as a way to ensure safe communication between webservers and browsers. Though anyone who transmits sensitive information through their website should use SSL certificates, there are organizations whose operations fundamentally require them to buy SSL certificate. Examples include: online retailers, banks, government organizations, educational institutions, and any other organization with both internal and external network connection.

The importance of securing confidential data such as credit card related transactions, logins and bulk FTP data transfer cannot be overstated. Social media sites and webmail providers also need to protect their users against identity theft and other phishing scams that are common in today?s cyber world. SSL certificates are handy here as virtual security tools with versatile application. The existence of SSL is made known to Web users when the browser address bar displays a tiny padlock and/or a green bar following a keyed-in request for a secure page (normally https://..) This simple yet intuitive feature is the hallmark of its success since the end user experiences minimal intrusion both aesthetically and functionally.

There are three types of SSL certificates that have emerged:

Organization validation SSL Certificates: The right of an entity to use a particular domain name is checked by the Certification Authority (CA). In essence, it conducts some sort of inspection of the organization so that customers visiting the website can view the vetted company information, hence enhancing trust by verifying who really is behind the site.

Domain Validation SSL Certificates: The CA here only validates the right of an entity to use a specific domain name. It is therefore very basic in terms of how much assurance it provides.

Extended Validation SSL Certificates: This is quite comprehensive in the sense that it counter checks multiple parameters (i.e. the right of the entity to use a specific domain name, the legal, physical and operational existence of the entity as well as matching that information to official records.)

Below are reasons why organizations should protect their online operations using this technology:

Security

This goes without saying, cyber security is key in any organization with an online presence. Applications like Microsoft Outlook in addition to office communication servers need SSL certificates for data encryption. It is also imperative to note that cloud-based computing platforms and general workflow virtualization is the norm within many organizations today. This, therefore, calls for the most rigorous security systems deployment. SSL certificates ensure all passwords are protected and thus keeping phishing scams at bay.

Confidentiality

Every time someone accesses the internet within an organization?s network, sensitive information is transmitted via web forms. It is critical that system logins are protected and any information transmitted online is encrypted to avoid malicious intercepts. SSL encryption done using corresponding unique pair of keys ensures that transmissions can only be decrypted from either end by authorized users.

Enhancing Trust

The one quality a business engaging in online transaction needs its customers to associate it with is credibility. Web users need to know who they are dealing with when they visit a website. An SSL certificate provide a means for verifying the site owner?s unique identifier information such as email address, location, entity name, certificate usage, duration of validity, and the existence of a genuine certification authority corroborating the same . This, therefore, provides an authentication platform to prove its legitimacy.

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