Most of us know that a website is secure if there is a ‘lock’ icon in the browser frame. Let us find out what this lock means and how it enables us to know whether a site is secure.
The lock icon serves the following 2 purposes:
1. Identification of the website
By clicking the lock icon one can see the security report. The security report gives the type of certificate issued to the website by a Certifying Authority and the validity of the certificate. For utmost security, one should ensure that a website has extended validation certificate which means the certifying authority confirms that the website is owned or operated by a business that is legally organized under the jurisdiction shown in the certificate and on the security status bar. However it should be noted that the certification authority makes no assertion about the business practices of the website.
2. Providing secure connection
The presence of the lock icon in the web browser means the website address is secure or encrypted. Another way of determining this is a secure site will begin with HTTPS instead of HTTP. A secure connection is an encrypted exchange of information between the website being visited and the browser. Encryption is provided through a document the website provides called a certificate. When information is sent to the website, it is encrypted at the browser end and decrypted at the website.
Here is a security warning for users while checking for the lock icon. Users should beware of where the lock icon is placed. It should be only on the browser frame. Fraudulent websites and hackers present web page with lock icon in the web page itself. Users should not mistake that to be a secure website.