Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology protects your Web site and makes it easy for your Web site visitors to trust you in three essential ways:
Over half of Internet users avoid buying online because they are afraid their financial information might be stolen. 49% of those do not make online purchases at all.
86% of online shoppers report that they would feel more confident about entering personal information on sites using security indicators.
Imagine sending mail through the postal system in a clear envelope. Anyone with access to it can see the data. If it looks valuable, they might take it or change it. An SSL Certificate establishes a private communication channel enabling encryption of the data during transmission. Encryption scrambles the data, essentially creating an envelope for message privacy.
SSL uses a cryptographic system that uses two keys to encrypt data - a public key known to everyone and a private key known only to the recipient of the message. Using these keys, the server can identify itself and be instantly validated by a trusted third-party. Once the client and server have validated each other using the encrypted data and private key, a secured connection can be made.
SSL Certificates are created for a particular server in a specific domain for a verified business entity. When the SSL handshake occurs, the browser requires authentication information from the server. By clicking the closed padlock in the browser window or certain SSL trust marks, the Web site visitor sees the authenticated organization name. In high-security browsers, the authenticated organization name is prominently displayed and the address bar turns green when an Extended Validation SSL Certificate is detected. If the information does not match or the certificate has expired, the browser displays an error message or warning.