Find Out Why Having An SSL Is A Must For Your Website

Web security has shown up in the news more frequently lately as stories of major hacks regularly make headlines. However, many sites still don’t offer even the most basic of security measures: an SSL certificate. Here are a few of the reasons why your site needs to use SSL.

Protect Data

SSL encrypts information as it’s sent to or from your site. In most cases, this prevents eavesdroppers from gaining access to information that can lead to identity theft and other problems. Information sent from the site to customers can leave your site vulnerable to a variety of attacks, potentially threatening your company’s data. While SSL alone isn’t enough to prevent all malicious attacks, it’s a critical element.

Compliance

Increasingly, regulatory agencies are requiring sites to use SSL. Browser developers are at the forefront of pushing for compliance, and some may soon begin requiring sites to have an SSL certificate. Visitors are more likely to receive a warning when accessing a site that lacks SSL protection, and this can drive away potential customers and clients. Furthermore, SSL protection shows that your company is dedicated to protecting its visitors from potential threats, thereby improving your reputation.

Send and Accept Payments

Sending or receiving a payment without SSL is dangerous, and customer data can be easy to steal if it’s sent across an unsecured connection. Likewise, you company’s payment information can leak as well, potentially causing problems with your payment portal. Payment Card Industry compliance, which is developed by an international team, requires that payments are only sent across a secure connection, and failing to meet these standards can lead to problems with merchants. Even if you don’t plan to accept payments in the near future, it’s easier to start using SSL from the beginning in case your goals change.

Few Downsides

Fortunately, there are few drawbacks to using SSL technology on your site. Encrypting data using some processing power, but the performance hit is negligible in most cases. Furthermore, implementing SSL on most commercial hosts is simple as hosting software often comes configured. SSL is an open standard, so it generally costs nothing to implement. Because of its advantages, experts agree that all sites, even those that serve little information, should use SSL going forward.

Liability Issues

Laws aren’t entirely clear on how liable site owners are for protecting customer data, but negligence is often raised while discussing the issue. Attorneys and other legal experts can point to a lack of SSL as a sign of negligence, potentially leaving site operators liable for various penalties. Even if SSL alone doesn’t prevent an attack, it can demonstrate that the site’s operator is diligent when it comes to keeping customer data safe.

Prevent Phishing Attacks

Phishing attacks are rampant, and your customers are at a greater risk of attacks if your site doesn’t use SSL technology. While it can’t protect against all attacks, SSL provides a good defense. Even though phishing attacks are due to third parties, customers might assign some blame to your site, potentially damaging your reputation.

SSL provides a strong defense against a wide range of attacks, and its small footprint makes it a great choice for even the smallest of sites. Fortunately, implementing SSL is usually straightforward, and universal support from major browsers makes it a must for your site.