SSL is what facilitates secure internet as it protects sensitive user data. Regardless of whether or not a website handles sensitive data like credit cards, SSL is tasked with protecting a website. It provides high levels of privacy and data integrity for both the website and the website user.
SSL for sensitive data encryption
Ideally, SSL is used to secure all kinds of data sent across the web to ensure that only the intended person accesses it. This is very important since all the information sent via the internet goes through a network of computers before getting to the destination server. That means any computer within the network can see sensitive information including credit cards, passwords, and usernames if encryption with an SSL certificate is not done.
The importance of SSL certification, is, therefore, to render the information relayed unreadable to all other parties except the server the information is being sent to. In doing so, sensitive data is protected from the hands of identity thieves and notorious hackers.
SSL for authentication
Besides SSL being used for data encryption, a valid SSL certificate provides authentication. This ensures that whatever data you’re sending is remitted to the right server, and not to a party posing as the server to hack your information.
Authentication is important in today’s business where millions of customers are constantly sending information via several computers. In an unfortunate event, one of those computers can easily hijack the system and obtain all the customer information pretending to be you. The only way to avoid such an occurrence from happening is by obtaining an SSL certificate from a reputable SSL provider.
Your SSL provider matters a lot, in that a trusted provider issues certification to a verified company that has been duly vetted through several identity checks.
SSL for trust
Different web browsers indicate visual cues, for example, a green bar, or a lock icon, to ensure that visitors can tell when or not their connections have been secured. By putting in place these measures, it enhances trust from prospects and in the end, you’re likely to attract more visitors, making more sales eventually. Trusted SSL providers will also provide you with a seal of trust for purpose of instilling more trust in your customers.
HTTPS protects you from phishing attacks, where a phishing email is a mail sent by an impersonator. The email carries a link to the criminal’s website or uses another link to direct unsuspecting customers to a bogus website using your own domain name. The best part is that these criminals are unable to obtain the proper SSL certification, so they cannot successfully impersonate your website.
SSL for PCI Compliance
For you to accept credit card details on your website, it is mandatory that you pass through a series of audits to ascertain that you are indeed complying with the PCI standards. One way to do it is by using an SSL certificate. A perfect example of such sites is casino websites where a lot of personal information is transmitted to facilitate easy banking and money transfer.