It’s hard to flip open a newspaper without reading about another major data breach. Earlier this year we saw the biggest internet security breach in history. The Heartbleed bug left the passwords of up to 66 per cent of all Internet accounts vulnerable and led to 900 SINs being stolen from Canada Revenue Agency.
Security breaches aren’t just happening online. Last year Target made headlines when information from as many as 70 million customers was compromised. Home Depot is in the headlines right now for a data breach that happened in its brick and mortar locations. While customers who made purchases online are fine, it’s the customers who made purchases in store that could be affected. Home Depot confirmed this week that Canadian shoppers at its 180 locations could be affected. This has prompted Home Depot to roll out Chip-and-PIN point of sale devices at all of its U.S. stores sooner than expected – by the end of 2014, instead of October 2015.
HTTPS Everywhere
The latest security breaches are accelerating the move to a more secure web. Google is calling for HTTPS everywhere on the World Wide Web. The world’s most popular search engine is even boosting rankings for some HTTPS sites. It’s Google’s goal to make the Internet a safer place for everyone and avoid massive security breaches. That starts with making sure the websites accessed through Google are secure. Google has already adopted the strongest security measure on its services like Search, Gmail and Google Drive, with a secure connection by default.
What is HTTPS and why does it matter? HTTPS stands for “Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure.” The “s” stands for secure. When data is sent over a secure connection it’s encrypted by default, making it more difficult for security breaches to occur. Although some websites have voluntarily added HTTPS, the latest security breaches may have prompted Google to speed up the trend. To encourage more websites to adopt HTTPS, Google is boosting some search engine rankings for HTTPS sites.
Securing the World Wide Web
Security isn’t just about securing forms and banking – but also “metadata” that can possibly be used maliciously. Google believes that all communication should be secure, always, and by default. That includes blogs, playlists and other activities that you do online. The metadata that hackers can gather by looking at unencrypted website traffic alone is harmless, but when you actually put it all together the data can reveal a lot about intent. It can actually compromise your privacy. Even if you’re running a simple blog you should consider encrypting your site. There are two important reasons: you want to protect the privacy of visitors and you want to protect your website from malicious attacks.
When you hear the term “security,” encryption is probably the first thing that comes to mind. While encryption is important, HTTPS takes it a step further by providing authentication and data integrity. Authentication is similar to the authentication that takes place when you purchase something on your credit card – it confirms your identity. Data integrity identifies if someone has tampered with the data. Together these three pillars of security ensure the Internet is a lot safer.
CreditCardsCanada.ca is Secure
Here at CreditCardsCanada.ca we incorporate HTTPS to help secure customer privacy. We take your privacy and security very seriously. We do the utmost to protect your privacy to ensure it isn’t compromised. If you look up at the address bar of your Internet browser, you’ll notice the website address begins with “HTTPS.” You’ll also notice a green “secure” lock icon (depending on your browser). When you visit a website this is how you know you’re protected.
The Bottom Line
A more secure web is better for everyone – it’s important to be “security wise” as you browse the web. One piece of data alone may not comprise your security, but when your Internet browsing habits are gathered it paints a picture about who you are and your interests. Although HTTPS isn’t ubiquitous yet, at the very least you should make sure highly sensitive information like your name, address, and especially credit card information is always sent via a secure connection. The last thing is want is for your data to be compromised and fall into malicious hands.
