How SSL can help me in securing my online transactions?

[offshore web development]

Hello to all,
I'm having a e-commerce website and I want to secure all payment transactions so can SSL help me in doing so?
Please give me proper suggestion.

Thanks

[speed]

You are best off using a payment service provider such as PayPal, SECPay, HSBC, WorldPay to name just a few.

Using one of those means that your shopper is transferred to their servers to enter their credit card information, therefore you don't have all the hassles associated with taking card information your self.

The payment provider will take the card data from the shopper over SSL.

If you are intent on taking the card details yourself then yes you need an SSL certificate, but you also need to ensure that your site and server pass PCI compliance, there's a whole set of rules you have to comply with and from memory you are also liable should card data be stolen. In my opinion it's just not worth the effort, much better to find a payment service provider.

[netman4ttm]

Speed covered it.
SSL is the least of your worries. PCI compliance is the heart of the matter.

[SnerdeyWebs]

3rd party to handle all of the credit card billing information for sure. Then just an SSL for the while in the customer area, sign up check out of your website. Once it gets time to enter credit card they should be on the merchant urls.

[Milo]

I'm not a big fan of 3rd party payment gateways myself, but this is just a personal preference. I also used to get a bit of negative feedback from my customers as to why they were being transferred out of my site. I also prefer dealing with a secure site and NOT being redirected somewhere else. My site uses a 3rd party PAYMENT PROCESSOR and I have my own SSL certificate. The processor rates are AU$55/month and the SSL set me back AU$250 (although they can be bought for AU$40). You will also need a merchant account. If this is out of your budget, then Paypal, etc are the way to go.

[BluePlanet]

To echo all the other posters, use PayPal to start off with. If you are asking for basic guidance on SSL certificates you obviously are not prepared or in any position to set up your own secure payment site and meet the many security requirements.

You can also use other payment systems such as Daopay and Worldpay which you could never duplicate.

You would need to be doing many tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a month in sales to justify doing your own ecommerce site and the cost of setting it up and operating it, so you could save a percentage or two on the discount rate.

[fulleffect]

One of our customers had their server compromised recently and because they didnt hold their credit/debit card details, the worst they could do was email their customers (which is bad enough), but no where near as catastrophic if the card details were stolen!!

Dont learn the hard way, use a 3rd party payment company!

[The SSL Store]

I think SSL Certificates will help you for build security seals and visitors trust to your website. You can prevent from online fraud, Data Interception & phishing. SSL certificates provide 100% secure authentication to Server, Web Applications and Browsers.

[speed]

Re: Data Interception, if your store is taking the name, address and list of product ordered, then passing the visitor off to a 3rd party for taking the card details, then really what's going to be intercepted?

At worst name, address and products, but most stores I know send an order confirmation email, so big deal the info is protected as it's entered and captured as it's sent in email. I can almost guarantee that at some point in the email delivery that email is in plain text on the wire.

Think too many people get hung up on adding security that means little or nothing.

[Milo]

Originally Posted by speed

Re: Data Interception, if your store is taking the name, address and list of product ordered, then passing the visitor off to a 3rd party for taking the card details, then really what's going to be intercepted?

At worst name, address and products, but most stores I know send an order confirmation email, so big deal the info is protected as it's entered and captured as it's sent in email. I can almost guarantee that at some point in the email delivery that email is in plain text on the wire.

Think too many people get hung up on adding security that means little or nothing.

Very good point Speed. Probably more a decision that is based on budget.