Security Concerns

In person-to-person transactions, security is based on physical cues. Customers have come to accept the risks of using credit cards in places like department stores because they can see and touch the merchandise and make judgments about the store. On the Internet, without those physical cues, it is much more difficult to assess the safety of a business. Also, serious security threats have emerged. By becoming aware of the risks of Internet-based transactions, businesses can acquire technology solutions that overcome those risks:

• Spoofing: The low cost of Web site creation and ease of copying existing pages makes it all too easy to create illegitimate sites that appear to be published by established organizations. In fact, con artists have illegally obtained credit card numbers by setting up professional-looking storefronts that mimic legitimate businesses.
• Unauthorized disclosure: When transaction information is transmitted “in the clear,” hackers can intercept the transmissions to obtain your customers’ sensitive information.
• Unauthorized action: A competitor or disgruntled customer can alter your Web site so that it refuses service to potential clients or malfunctions.
• Data alteration: The content of a transaction can be intercepted and altered en route, either maliciously or accidentally. User names, credit card numbers, and dollar amounts sent “in the clear” are all vulnerable to such alteration.

Securing your Web site

SSL Certificate: There are several Certificate Authorities, the most well-known is Verisign (http://www.verisign.com), the leading provider of trust services for electronic commerce and communication.

VeriSign Server IDs have earned the trust of businesses world-wide, including virtually all of the Fortune 500 companies on the Web and all of the top 40 e-commerce sites.

Other Authorities are Thawte (http://www.thawte.com), and Geotrust (http://www.geotrust.com).

Privacy Statement

People nowadays are more than ever concerned with privacy. Therefore, when you decide to ask people for sensitive information –even if it’s only to make shopping easier on their part-, it is always a good idea to tell them what you will/might do and won’t do with their personal information. There is also a organization that overlooks privacy statements and make sure that customers have full control over the uses of their personal information.

Securing your Computer

Firewall:

Intrusion Detection Software:

Anti-Virus: