by Jessica Tesoriero

Created on: December 29, 2008

Is Your Website Secure Enough?

When it comes to the 21st century, one cannot refute the usage of internet, World Wide Web, online, etc. These are the terms that define our century. In this time, we are very reliant upon the internet for many reasons. These dependencies come in the form of personal, business and educational needs.

Based on the fact that many of the users online use the internet for some form of personal use, a secure website is essential. Personal use could include any online banking, bill pay, online purchases, browsing, validation and more. If any personal information were to be unsecure over the internet and get into the wrong hands, the results could be disastrous.

The same situation applies to business needs. A business is reliable for all personal information it accepts on the website they provide. If a business website decides to accept credit card information, they are opening themselves up for liability. This is why most online businesses choose to use third party credit card acceptance sites such as Paypal. This eliminates the liability for processing information.

How do I make my online business site secure?

Add different layers to your site. This means adding encryption to your site as a whole, especially on the payment pages of the site. The way encryption works is it takes a word and turns it into a string of numbers, letters and symbols. There is no set way it encrypts, therefore, harder to encode. Basically, the higher the encryption, the safer the site; for example, the string for a 256 bit encryption is much longer than a 128 bit encryption. 128 bit encryption is, however, acceptable and the most widely used. This encryption is placed on a whole other level on the site. If a site is not encrypted, it is not worth placing personal information on. It would be like handing a stranger you credit card for free reign.

Let People Know!

The best way to deter people from trying to hack into your site is by letting them know you have taken the steps to make the site secure. Most hackers will not even waste their time with a site that is known to have safety measures in place. Hackers tend to look for the easy targets when trying to collect credit card or personal information. There are many ways you can let people know your site is secured. One of the most common ways is to go through MacAfee who has their own logo to place on their site. This logo means that MacAfee has checked the site daily to ensure it is up to standards. If this is too much of an expense, you can personally have a logo made or simply a lock picture that encourages a "secure" feel. By placing a logo on your site, customers will also see that and feel more comfortable.

Learn more about this author, Jessica Tesoriero.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.