How To Identify a Secure Web Page
How Can You Tell A Webpage is SECURE?
1. Check the webpage URL
The URL of a secure webpage begins with the letters HTTPS. CIBC FirstCaribbean's secure Internet Banking log-on page's url is https://internetbanking.firstcaribbeanbank.com.
GREEN IS GOOD!
2. Ensure that the address bar has some element of green in it. Different browsers use different elements.
Microsoft's Internet Explorer - Background is shaded green
Mozilla's FireFox
Google's Chrome - FirstCaribbean's name is listed in green
Apple's Safari - HTTPS is shaded green
3. Check for the lock icon (after logging in to a secure site)
Most web browsers display a 'lock' icon somewhere in the window of the browser
Microsoft's Internet Explorer displays a lock in the lower-right of the browser window.
Mozilla's Firefox displays the lock icon in the lower-left corner of the window.
The lock is not just a picture. You can click or double click on it to see details of the site's security. This is important because some fraudulent sites are built with a bar at the bottom of the page to imitate the lock icon of your browser.
The ability to recognze a secure webpage is becoming extremely important due to the increase in online fraud cases and phishing attacks. If a webpage request personal/sensitive information, you should be able to identify if the page is secure or not.
Additional Indicators Of A Secure Webpage:
All webpages asking for personal/sensitive information should be secured using SSL!
What is SSL? - SSL means Secure Sockets Layer. SSL uses a complex system of key exhcanges between your browser and the web server you are communicating with in order to encrypt the data BEFORE transmitting it across the web. A webpage with an active SSL session is what we mean when we say a webpage is secure.
Many SSL Certificate vendors (Verisign, GeoTrust, SSL.com, etc.) also provide a "site seal" to the owners of these web sites. Common characteristics of these site seals include:
- High Visibility - Online merchants want you to see these site seals. They want you to know they have made every effort to make their site a safe shopping experience. Therefore, the site seal is usually located where you, the customer, can easily see it
- Difficult to Duplicate - The site seals are designed to be difficult for thieves and scammers to duplicate. Many times the site seal will have a date and time stamp on it
- Verification Functionality - The site seal should have some functionality whether by clicking on the seal or by hovering your mouse over the seal. The functionality should display detailed information about the web site you are visiting
