SSL Certificate Reviews

Oh no Symantec, you thought you already had your hands full with GoDaddy getting more aggressive in the SSL Certificate marketplace.  The last thing your Verisign SSL division needs is this - the 800-pound gorilla Google turning themselves into a certificate authority as well.  The thought alone probably makes Verisign executives tremble. 

So what's causing all the speculation?  Google just grabbed the domain domain name GoogleCert.com.

Granted, that in and of itself doesn't mean mean Google is going to throw its hat into the security marketplace.  Google could use the name a ton of different ways.  The lowest level use is simply registering it some someone else doesn't.  UDRP cases to get branded domain names back drain company time. 

However, this domain could easily signal that SSL certificates, or at least Trust seals, are on Google's mind. That's why smart companies follow domain registrations as a form of competitive intelligence - a purchased domain or series of domains in a certain area may mean the company is planning to pursue an opportunity.

A domain name news aggregation site had these thoughts about a possible Google entry into the SSL cert business:

"Google is the perfect player to capitalize on SSL certificates as well as various “trust” seals, which could help the company monetize its organic listings.

But what if Google got into this market? It could offer companies a special designation directly next to their Google search results — no toolbar needed. Companies would pay a premium for this added designation. It would enable Google to monetize its organic listings by selling a premium service that doesn’t disrupt the search algorithm."

Interesting indeed.  Stay tuned and we'll see what happens, if anything.

Will Google Become a SSL Certificate Provider and Certificate Authority?

Most of you visiting SSL Certificate Reviews are website owners.  I'm also guessing you all shop online as well.  In this blog entry I wanted to put on a different writing voice if you will and direct the blog post towards online shoppers.  It's important to review different suggestions and reminders about how to keep safe while shopping on the internet. 

While you read the post as a consumer, it may be a good idea to put on your website owner "hat" as well.  Ask yourself this question, "Am I meeting my website visitors shopping safety concerns when they visit my site?"  If the answer is no, especially around tip #2, it's time to do something about it.  Find the best SSL certificate for your website today!

The convenience of never leaving home to shop is pretty awesome. It can be fun to go shopping online, but it can also be risky if you are not taking proper precautions.

Keeping safe while shopping on the internet is really important.  There are lots of cyber criminals out there.  Here's some of the ways you can avoid exposing your information too much and putting yourself at risk while shopping online:

Safe Shopping Tip #1: Shop on Websites With Familiar Domain Extensions

The best .com domain names are already taken, which has led to the use of other domain extensions.  Some of the alternatives to .com have the reputation of being havens to cyber criminals.  I personally never shop at a website with a .info domain.  I also don't shop at a website that is using a country code domain that is different then the country I'm in.  For example, I live in the U.S., so I don't shop at .ru or .cn websites, which are the country codes for Russia and China respectively.

You are also taking a risk if you shop on a brand new website that isn't complete unless you are familiar with the company or the entrepreneur who started it. You'll be safest by sticking to the tried and true sites that are extensions of offline stores or stores that you've been following for a while and are completely familiar with.

Safe Shopping Tip #2: Look For Secure Websites

When you go through the shopping cart on the website you are about to buy from, do you see that the URL in your browser starts with https:// or a http://? It's the 's' that's important here. It indicates a secure server versus an open one. Secure servers make it more difficult for a hacker to grab your information mid-transmission, where an unsecured one doesn't really do anything to prevent this issue.

Safe Shopping Tip #3: Never Give Out More Than Necessary

If you go through a shopping cart and it doesn't require your phone number or mailing address, don't give it out. Also, if the shopping cart asks you information like your birthday or your marital status don't give this kind of information out either. And, if they ask for your social security or tax ID – RUN!

Safe Shopping Tip #4: Don't Be Afraid of Using Paypal

There may be some debate about Paypal and if it's a good way to go, but millions of people use Paypal successfully every single day. The great thing about using Paypal is that you only need to trust one site with your credit card information – Paypal. When you go through the shopping cart of a website that uses Paypal you will be redirected to their secure server, instead of the website you are not familiar with.

Safe Shopping Tip #5: Check Statements and Receipts

Make sure what you were charged matches what you intended to pay. You'll also want to get the details before you order. Find out how much shipping is, how long deliver will take, etc. If you can't find this sort of information before you order, then the merchant hasn't done a good job presenting this to you and you should think twice about ordering.

Safe Shopping Tip #6: Use Secure Internet Connections Only

Don't shop with a credit card while on public wi-fi or you'll put yourself at serious risk. Also make sure if you have wi-fi at home that it is password protected and secure.

Safe Shopping Tip #7: Do Not Store Credit Card Info

Many online stores (legitimate ones like Amazon.com) will offer to store your credit card information for your convenience when making future purchases. Unless you have an extremely secure password when logging into your store account, this is not recommended.

Safe Shopping Tip #8: Check Privacy Policies

If you want to protect yourself, you better read the privacy policy of any website you are unsure of. Let's talk a little scenario here:

You buy a fishing lure from Mike's Fishing Supply Shop and get your order no problem. Then, you start getting phone calls and emails all the time from companies selling everything and anything to do with fishing including bait, boats, lines and fishing vacations. You think: “What the heck?!”

So you head back on over to Mike's website and check around. You stumble on the privacy policy only to discover it says something like this:
“We reserve the right to transfer your contact information to our partners. You agree to this policy by using this website”.

Obviously that's not legal jargon but you get the point. Basically you used Mike's website, gave him your information and agreed to his policy just by being there.

Don't make the mistake of putting all the responsibility on the merchants to protect your information. Be aware and always pay attention to where you sending your personal information. The above 8 "how to keep safe while shopping online" tips can help you prepare for your best online shopping experience.

Good luck shopping online, and have fun! 

How To Keep Safe While Shopping on the Internet| Safe Shopping Tips

Business Insider put together a list of the most important internet codes, or algorithms. This just means the computer code or set of instructions that is the backbone of the internet. The list of the code that makes the internet work includes an algorithm that is key to SSL certificates - encyption.

Encryption is the process of turning information into unreadable nonsense characters. It's what makes Internet credit card transactions possible and it's at the heart of Internet security.

128-bit and 256-bit encryption algorithms are two of the most popular today. Prior to 1996, both were recognized as munitions by the US government -- they were literally illegal.

Not having a SSL certificate can hurt an eCommerce website. In general, customers don't trust a site enough to buy from it if the website isn't secured by a SSL. It's even worse to own an expired or invalid certificate. Certain browsers, such as Google Chrome, can scare away your visitors by displaying red alert pages, thanks to the invalidity of your certificate.

The Internet relies on many, many algorithms in order to function properly - and SSL certificates are one of the top 11. Find the best SSL certificate provider for your website today.

SSL Certificate Encryption Code is a Critically Important to Internet Security

Just in case you're pondering this question while you're setting up your SSL ...

You don't need to change your file structure naming convention and add ".shtml" extension to the end of your files.

If you have a SSL certificate that is properly configured, the "httpS://" is enough to signify the secure page.  It is unnecessary to change html to shtml to show that your website has an SSL certificate.

Adding ".shtml" File Extension Not Needed To Show SSL Security