Technology keeps changing. The Internet keeps changing. As long as there is a ‘Buy' button, however, the doubts about online security will remain the same.

In a virtual world there will always be an element of doubt when sending or receiving sensitive information.

It is around this premise that thawte has built a business.

Protecting the information itself has never been the problem. Knowing that the person on the other side is exactly who and what you think they are… this, is the real challenge.

thawte , one the original digital Certification Authorities, realizes that successful security on the Internet was all about trust . Consequently, thawte performs the most stringent levels of authentication and verification on each and every application for certificates and guarantees that:

• the organization named in the certificate has the right to use the domain name included in the certificate;
• is a legal entity ; AND
• that the individual who requested the SSL certificate on behalf of the organization was authorized to do so.

And that's the difference a thawte digital certificate makes.

What is SSL?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a technology for managing the security of online message transmission. SSL encrypts or scrambles any information sent from your browser to the server you are connected to, making it impossible to intercept or tamper with the information on the way.

So how do you know that the site you are visiting uses SSL encryption to secure your details?

If you see the padlock in the bottom right-hand corner of your browser you know that SSL encryption is in place and that information being sent from this page is safe. The big problem is that you do not know who is on the other side receiving your information. The only way this can be verified is through an authenticated web server certificate.

SSL without authentication is misleading

SSL encryption ensures that the information is safe. All digital certificates come with SSL. Not all digital certificates are sufficiently authenticated. Some low cost competitors offer SSL and a low level of authentication.

There is still room for fraud with low-level authentication.

thawte offers a thorough process of authentication before we provide a business with a digital certificate. A thawte SSL Web Server Certificate will always imply that the organization named in the certificate has the right to use the domain name included in the certificate, that the organization named in the certificate is a legal entity and that the individual who requested the SSL certificate on behalf of the organization was authorized to do so.

thawte – Trusted since the early days

thawte (launched in 1996) was one of the first Certification Authorities around, and is here to stay. Known for offering strong encryption and fully authenticated digital certificates, the thawte name is synonymous with trust. As a customer, you can be assured that information sent to and from a web site containing a thawte digital certificate, will not only be protected, but also be going to exactly whom and where it is intended.

The thawte Trusted Site Seal

Once an e-business has obtained a thawte SSL Web Server Certificate and once it has been fully authenticated, thawte supplies the website with an authentic site seal. By clicking on the thawte Trusted Site Seal you will get real-time confirmation of the validity of the certificate on the web server you are connected to. The Seal Information Page lists the domain it authenticates, the date of certification, the date of expiry and in which country the business is based.

The thawte Trusted Site Seal is your visible, real-time assurance of trust.

There have been cases of fraudulent use of the thawte Trusted Site Seal and if you would like to report any abuse, send an email to abuse@thawte.com.

Look out for the following to identify abuse of the thawte Trusted Site Seal:

The site does not own a digital certificate

• The information on the Seal Information Page does not match the information of the site quote error message
  
• When the thawte Trusted Site Seal is clicked, there is no information page that pops-up
  
• There have been illegal or any modifications to the thawte Trusted Site Seal
  
• The Seal is being used to promote Spam, illegal activities or other questionable behaviour.