Security

How is this site Secure?  StockDisciplines.com has been granted an SSL certificate.

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, an encryption technology that was originally created by Netscape in the 1990s.  SSL creates an encrypted connection between a Website’s server and your your browser allowing for private information to be transmitted without the problems of eavesdropping, data tampering, and message forgery.

Once a Website has an SSL Certificate, the beginning of its URL is changed to denote that fact (from “https://” to “https://”).  With the SSL deployed, the information transmitted between your web browser and our web server (whether it is contact or credit card information), is encrypted and seen only by the owner of the Website (not by hackers, identity thieves, or anybody else).  In fact, even when an order is decryped for us, all but the last four digits of the credit card number are hidden.

Online businesses use SSL certificates to secure their websites and allow their customers to place trust in them. In order to use the SSL protocol, a web server requires the use of an SSL certificate.  SSL certificates are provided by Certificate Authorities (CAs).

A Certificate Authority is an entity that issues digital certificates to organizations or people after validating them. Certification authorities have to keep detailed records of what has been issued and the information used to issue it, and are audited regularly to make sure that they are following defined procedures. Every certification authority provides a Certification Practice Statement (CPS) that defines the procedures that will be used to verify applications.

SSL helps prevent attackers or intrusive companies such as ISPs from tampering with the data sent between our Website and your browser.  It is critical for protecting sensitive information such as a credit card numbers but it also protects a Website against malware.

To determine if any website page is really secure, look for an “s” following “http” on the page’s URL in the address bar of your browser.  Sometimes, a small green lock icon will be displayed in the address bar or a little yellow lock icon will appear at the bottom of the browser window to indicate that a page is secure.  The lock does not always appear, but secure pages always have “https” in the address bar rather than “http.”  If the URL in the address bar of your browser does not have “https” at the beginning rather than the common “http,” or you do not see the little lock icon, then you are probably not on a secure page.  All pages on this site are protected.

For more about how credit card information is handled and other ways we protect your privacy, go to our Privacy/Security page.