There are two general indications of a secured web page:
1) Check the web page URL
Normally, when browsing the web, the URLs (web page addresses) begin with the letters "http". However, over a secure connection the address displayed should begin with "https" - note the "s" at the end.
Try it! - Visit our home page (
http://www.ssl.com). Note the URL begins with the "http" meaning this page is not secure. Click the link in the upper-right hand corner to "Log in". Notice the change in the URL? It now begins with "https", meaning the user name and password typed in will be encrypted before sent to our server.
2) Check for the "Lock" icon
There is a de facto standard among web browsers to display a "lock" icon somewhere in the window of the browser (NOT in the web page display area!) For example, Microsoft Internet Explorer displays the lock icon in the lower-right of the browser window:
As another example, Mozilla's FireFox Web Browser displays the lock icon in the lower-left corner:
THE LOCK ICON IS NOT JUST A PICTURE! Click (or double-click) on it to see details of the site's security. This is important to know because some fraudulent web sites are built with a bar at the bottom of the web page to imitate the lock icon of your browser! Therefore it is necessary to test the functionality built into this lock icon. Furthermore, it is very important to
KNOW YOUR BROWSER! Check your browser's help file or contact the makers of your browser software if you are unsure how to use this functionality