jaylach wrote:
Because too many people don't have a clue as to what SSL even is.
I apologize as the above was a terrible post for these forums. LOL! I stated that "too many people don't have a clue as to what SSL even is." yet gave zero info on the topic.
The following is rather long but I suggest that it be read...This will probably be more info than any wants but here goes...
SSL stands for 'Secure Socket Layer' and basically means that ALL data transferred is encrypted to a rather high level. This protection also includes the later version called Transport Layer Security (TLS). Even though it is an advanced form TLS is still commonly called SSL.
A while back I did have a site through which I offered visitors the option to purchase photos and I was not willing to pay the hundreds of dollars per year for SSL or TSL. Still a purchase was totally secure as I used an outside source to process the payment. I used two different methods for payment...
1) There was a form on the site that took in what was wanted then transferred directly to PayPal. Until PayPal was reached there was zero personal info entered, just the wanted photos. Once on the PayPal site their SSL/TSL systems took over.
2) There was another form with which a customer could contact me about what they wanted and the info would get to me via an email. Still the same result as 1) as the final purchase was done through PayPal.
Think about it. Ordering something from a site that is not protected is zero danger at the front end. By 'front end' I mean selecting your items. Selecting items is in no way any danger. It is only when entering payment info that the danger is present. In my case you had a full fledged shopping cart but that cart would not accept payment. When you clicked to checkout my routines sent your cart to PayPal for processing. Zero personal info as to payment was ever entered before arriving at PayPal.
This may still seem dangerous as it would seem that a hacker could follow the stream to PayPal but, through an add-on for my web editor supplied from PayPal, the link from my site to PayPal was also encrypted. LOL! If you ordered 1 single 8X10 photo the code generated before it was even sent to PayPal was about as long as this paragraph and was total gibberish.
Think of it this way. There is always the option to make a donation to these forums yet these forums are not protected by either SSL or TSL yet it is totally safe as you are taken directly to PayPal for processing which *IS* protected by SSL/TSL.
I guess my point is that it does not matter if the site that you place an order is protected or not. The only thing that really matters is that the payment page is protected.
LOL! Looking to get 'yelled at' for this post but it is the absolute truth. It is like going to your local store. You can have a 1000 items in your cart and have them rung up. Until you swipe your card it means nothing.