SSL security guide

It stands for Secure Socket Layer. It's a technology that helps keep the things you do online private and stops hackers eavesdropping on what you're doing online. It's often used on websites where you make online purchases.

You can check if a connection to a website is secured by looking for https:// at the start of the wesite address, and checking the address bar for a padlock icon. Clicking this padlock icon will display the certificate information and encryption details.

If you're worried about security online, you'll find lots of handy tips in our guide to staying safe online.

If you've got business broadband, or an older home broadband account that offers webspace, then read on. Your webspace uses the server ftp.plus.net, which supports SSL. That means it's possible to allow people visiting certain pages of your website to use a secure, encrypted SSL connection. To do that, use the address https://homepages.plus.net/username.

If you want to access a specific file on your webspace using SSL, use https://homepages.plus.net/username/myfile.html for example. Remember to add https in any hyperlinks you use.

This won't work with:

• hosted domains
• https://www.username.plus.com/
• CGI webspace (CGI platforms don't support SSL)

You won't need to use SSL on every webpage, only the ones that need to be encrypted. SSL doesn't work for pages that contain images or objects that come from other websites. You can only use SSL for content you've uploaded to Plusnet's web servers.

You should see a small padlock icon appear in your status bar when visiting a webpage that's using SSL. Double-click on it to show the certificate information and encryption details.

Although this is a relatively safe way of transferring data, remember that the information you collect and display on your website is your own responsibility, and we can't be held accountable if you lose any of it.