When we first launched Paper Tiger Online, some customers were concerned about moving their personal data online. Given the numerous insecurities and vulnerabilities of the Internet, I could understand their rightful concerns. We hear it everyday about websites getting hacked, private data getting leaked, or identities stolen, et al. This warranted fear by internet users and companies, ushered in the age of secure communication and more specifically SS. SSL like all things perfect in this world has its flaws, but offers an added layer of security which makes it exceedingly harder for some diabolical cyber mind to compromise your Internet transactions.
“What is SSL?” You Might Ask
SSL is an acronym for Secure Socket Layer. SSL is a set of security protocols (rules) for setting up private encrypted communication between a website and its users. SSL is relevant to any online website that knows the value of keeping safe from an online hacker their customers’: credit card information, birth date, address, telephone number, license number, social security number, or file locations in Paper Tiger Online’s case. If you have ever noticed – some web addresses might have HTTPS instead of HTTP, and if so, you have already been introduced to SSL, which is represented by the S and indicates encrypted communication between your browser and the website.
Paper Tiger Online accounts offer an optional setting to turn on SSL for all communications between the application and your web browser while logged into your account.
How does SSL work?
An SSL certificate provides encryption of the data while sending it through a secure private channel. The private connection is like placing the information into a sealed envelope to guard the information from unintended viewers.
An SSL certificate consists of 2 keys: one to encrypt and one to decipher. The public key encrypts the information and the private key deciphers it once it reaches its destination. When encrypted, the message is appended with a message authentication code (MAC). You may sometimes receive a message from your browser to accept a certificate in order to proceed with your connection. A secure connection is established through a handshake technique where the server is authenticated as secure. Once the handshake has occurred it virtually encrypts and marks every transaction as secure until it’s told otherwise. The URL will change from HTTP to HTTPS to indicate a secure network.
The minimum secure SSL encryption recommended for ecommerce transactions is the 128-bit SSL certificate. For the mathematicians in the building, do the math, which is 128 * 127 * 126 and so on till 1 possible combination that a hacker has to try before getting to your data. However, the industry is not satisfied with this and is quickly migrating towards TLS protocol which is 1028-bit and 2048-bit security certificate – Paper Tiger will not be far behind.
Turning SSL On For Your Paper Tiger Account
By default only the login page uses SSL, and needs to be turned on for the rest of the application. Turning SSL on for your Paper Tiger Online account is as simple as checking a box.
1. Click the Accounts tab from the Dashboard
2. Scroll to the middle of the page and check the SSL box to turn it on
3. Click on Update SSL Preference
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