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All
communications between web users and the web server needs
to be encrypted to secure the details of user names and passwords
and account information or messages exchanged across the internet.
Encryption
is supported through all modern browsers using SSL with a
128-bit secure certificate issued from a trusted source for
this purpose. This certificate serves two purposes:
- To act as the key for the secure
messaging
- To confirm to a user that they
are connected to the correct trusted server
You
may be familiar with the closed lock symbol on your browser
window indicating that you are connected to a secure site.
You can check the details of the secure certificate by clicking
on the lock symbol.
We use
and recommend VeriSign secure certificates - the most widely
recognised SSL Certificates in the World.
 VeriSign
Global Server IDs, when installed on your Web server, enable
128-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption of communications
with users of nearly all Web browsers almost anywhere in the
world.
128-bit
Encryption: The Strongest Encryption Available
Traditional methods incorporate a 40-bit key length
to encrypt messages, which take a typical computer network
a couple of hours to decrypt. New 128-bit key lengths make
messages virtually unalterable by an outsider. However, due
to possible mismanagement of this powerful technology, the
US Government has regulated those that can export or use it
outside the US. VeriSign, Microsoft, Netscape and the US Government
have joined forces to provide a solution that enables 128-bit
encryption subject to specific regulations.
Domestic
and Export Browsers
Microsoft and Netscape have developed two versions of their
browsers that enable different levels of encryption, depending
on whether the end user is located within or outside North
America:
- North American or domestic version,
capable of handling 128-bit SSL sessions with VeriSign
Secure Server IDs
- Export or International version,
capable of 40-bit or 128-bit SSL sessions depending on
the type of Server ID with which the browser is communicating
Most
users in the US and around the world use the export versions
of the browsers, which require a VeriSign Global Server ID
to enable a 128-bit SSL session.
How 128-bit SSL Sessions Work
Global Server IDs contain extensions that make them capable
of engaging in 128-bit sessions. During an SSL session - for
example, a credit card transaction on your e-commerce site
- the client's browser initiates communication with the server,
which responds by sending its own certificate. The browser
then automatically analyses the server certificate to determine
if it contains the appropriate extension and then generates
the 128-bit session key, which encrypts the transaction. All
of this occurs automatically, in seconds, transparently to
the user.
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