What’s SSL And What Is Its Purpose
Programming & Web Development Security

What’s SSL And What Is Its Purpose

What’s SSL And What Is Its Purpose

If you had a big briefcase full of thousands or maybe millions of dollars, would you open it in public? Unless you were doing a stunt or a prank you would do your best to keep the contents of the briefcase secret and the briefcase itself as unsuspected as possible. That’s how you deal with threats in your real life. However, when it comes to internet you are not aware of the sneaky methods people use to intrude and fraudulently take advantage of your personal and confidential information. When you are on internet you are exposed to such dangers at all times.

In simple words, when you are doing business online, e.g. giving your credit card information on an online website for purchasing something, there are entities that can gain access to your credit card number and pin. They can gain access to other personal information you are sharing online too. This is only possible for them to do when you are not using SSL. SSL is your shield against these online dangers. SSL is the way to hide your information under a cloak through which the online intruders and invaders cannot see your personal information.

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. This is a protocol used on the internet when two machines are making a contact with each other. The best example is when you open a website your browser (installed on your computer) makes contact with the server of the website you are opening. The information you share on this website is completely naked unless the website displays it has SSL protocol in place. The website needs to go through a strict process of many phases in order to obtain this protocol. When this protocol is in place your information is completely safe when you share it on the website.

Relevant: Top 10 Cheap SSL Certificate Providers

The information is safe because what SSL does is that it encrypts the information that is being passed between your computer and server of the website. Encryption means that your information is converted into such words, symbols, letters, numbers and characters that no intruder can understand what the real information is even if it manages to pass through the layers of security. Furthermore, your browser will show you that the website is safe for monetary transactions only when it has properly authenticated the website’s SSL certificate. To see whether a website has SSL certificate or not have a look at HTTPS.

If the website address starts with HTTPS, it means that the website has SSL certificate and it is fully secure for you to do business and share your personal information on this website. Lottoleader Buy Lotto Tickets Online is a good example of a website using SSL. This website is all about depositing, withdrawing and winning huge sums of money. However, the SSL certificate makes it one of the most secure websites for anyone to try the lotto game. On most new browsers you will also see green color and a padlock symbol that show you that a website is secure with an SSL certificate. Lastly, do business only with websites that have SSL certificate.

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Hassan is a Blogger, Author, Entrepreneur and the Administrator of OnzineArticles.com. He heads Burgeoning Technologies, a Web and IT Company and manages several other blogs and websites. He can be followed on , Twitter and Facebook.