Security is in the Eye of the Beholder: Online "Trust" and Credit Card Processing (cont.)
Contributed by Alix Mcmurray
Safeguard the Processing of that Credit Card with a Known Trust Mark
When you are surfing the Internet and notice a security certificate posted at the bottom of the home or purchase page (also called a "trust mark"), it indicates that the merchant has purchased encryption services with online theft insurance from that company. If you don't recognize the name or logo of the service, look up their website before you go ahead with your purchase. And if you don't see any such certificate on the merchant's website, DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM ONLINE!
Indeed, it has been documented that e-commerce could be rising at a much higher rate were the frequency increased of customers' recognizing trust marks on merchants' websites. Not seeing one YOU recognize should dampen your spirits with regard to submitting your credit card for processing.
Credit Card Processing and the Encryption Process
Encryption is the key element in the processing of a credit card payment online that assures it is an authentic purchase with no breach of privacy. Encryption is the process of transforming data so that the only parties who can access it are those who agreed to the given transaction. Forty to 56-bit encryption might take a talented hacker about a day to "crack", whereas the 128-bit encryption now being sold by many trust companies could ostensibly take a hacker a trillion years to decode!
This is good news for online buyers and merchants, who share in the responsibility of becoming familiar with trust companies and their authorized certificates.
