Secure
Socket Layer (SSL) is a mechanism that is being used to secure data
transmission across the Internet. The most common use of SSL is to
enable encryption of data transfer from websites to your web browser to
security and authenticate the validity of the website owner. This is
especially important on website that deals with online transactions,
individual personal details, financial/banking websites and any website
which has user authentication. websites would require Digital
Certificates in order to have SSL enabled.
Digital
Certificates provide a means of proving your identity (or in this case,
your company's website's identity) electronically; much like a driver
license or a passport does in face-to-face interactions. It is an
electronic file that uniquely identifies individuals and servers. It is
issued by a Certification Authority (CA). It contains your name, a
serial number, expiration date, a copy of the certificate holder's
public key (used for encrypting and decrypting messages and digital
signatures), and the digital signature of the
certificate-issuing authority so that a recipient can verify that the certificate is real.
At EMERGE, we recommend you to use thawte's SSL Digital Certificate.
