Secure websites

[RogerS]

I should know the answer to this. In fact I think I do but you're never too old to learn.

I'm trying to book a hotel room using an http site. They claim that the site is secure and encrypted and are asking for my credit card details.

All my knowledge and experience tells me that you can't make an ordinary http site secure and encrypted and so their claim is b******ks

Only https sites are secure and encrypted. I think.

 

[cutting42]

Hi Roger

One thing to check is if there is the secure padlock in your browser appearing. It will be in the bottom right hand corner next to where it says Internet (assuming IE6 here) This will mean that a secure link has been initiated. You do not specifically require a https weblink.

If no padlock, do not do it!

 

[RogerS]

Hi Roger

One thing to check is if there is the secure padlock in your browser appearing. It will be in the bottom right hand corner next to where it says Internet (assuming IE6 here) This will mean that a secure link has been initiated. You do not specifically require a https weblink.

If no padlock, do not do it!

Padlock was there none! Pragmatist that I am, I decided to use a virgin (as in never used) credit card with minimal credit to make the reservation. Once I get to the hotel I can then use a 'real'card.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Roger

You can always right click on the page and it will tell you if it's encrypted.

Cheers
Neil

 

[RogerS]

Thanks Neil for that tip...not easy on a Mac but I found out the right key combination and that also explained to me why I kept getting an annoying window with page Info on it ...keep popping up!!! So double thanks, thanks :lol:

 

[Losos]

Roger,
Your post is interesting to me since I was trying to order 'on line' from AB Dick in Germany on Friday & panicked when I noticed no https prefix. There was a padlock, 'tho not in the usual position, it was in the middle of the screen as part of the 'order form'

I decided to place my order by phone to be safe, but would like to thank Gareth for the info on the 's' bit, and Neil for the tip on checking if the site is in 'secure mode'

It would be really nice if someone who has ordered 'on line' from AB Dick could tell me that all went well & they didn't loose their identity to some hacker in outer Mongolia

Given the high quality of staff & products I suppose I should have trusted AB Dick to be secure.

 

[Les Mahon]

It would be really nice if someone who has ordered 'on line' from AB Dick could tell me that all went well & they didn't loose their identity to some hacker in outer Mongolia

I've ordered a number of times from them and had no problems. But if you are worried they used to do CoD - not sure if they still do. If you have a company name they will also give you 30 days credit no questions asked.

Les

 

[RogerS]

Lest I be accused of setting the hares running too quickly, let me try and put this threat in perspective.

When you send data either to/from a normal http website, all the data is sent 'in clear'. I.e. - it can be read by anyone choosing to 'tap' into your data stream. This could be at your local ISP, at any other nodes in the internet that your data goes through (to see how many run tracert www.website.com or whatever and see just where your data goes. Now I do admit that the chances of someone doing this are pretty slim.

On a secure https site then all data is encrypted as it leaves my computer and vice versa. So anyone eavesdropping won't be able to make sense of my data stream (unless you are NCIS, GCHQ and a few other secret squirrels with their Cray supercomputers)

So if I have a choice of sending my credit card details over the internet then I'd rather send them encrypted.

Which also is the reason why I never send these sort of details via email and prefer to fax card details to the hotels.

In this particular case, the website concerned is www.worldhotels.com and surprisingly they are based in Germany. I did get a rather fatuous response from their Customer Services manager but then again I was surprised to actually get a reply (oh cynic that I am)

 

[Losos]

Les,
Thanks for that. It's just nice to know you had no probs. After what Roger & others have posted I'm reasonably sure that AB Dick are secure. Being my first order with them I was a bit over sensitive I guess. (Here in Czechland crime of all types is much greater than UK)

 

[Anonymous]

If it uses secure sockets layer, then there will always be a small padlock in bottom right corner of browser (not on actual web page)