SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a security technology that is commonly used for encrypting information sent between users and e-commerce web sites, thereby securing transactions. SSL protects data submitted over the Internet from being intercepted and viewed by unintended recipients and is used by hundreds of thousands of web sites in the protection of their online transactions with their customers. SSL is the industry standard Internet transaction security technology.
Which certificate is right for me?
If you have a low volume or development web site with less than 50 transactions per week and an average transaction amount of less than $50, go with the RapidSSL.
On the other hand, if you have a web site processing more than 50 transactions per week with an average transaction of greater than $50, go with the GeoTrust QuickSSL or GeoTrust QuickSSL Premium.
What certificate strength is required?
Generally there are two strengths of certificate in existence - 40 bit & 128 bit. The bit size indicates the length of the key size used for the encryption during a secure SSL session. The bigger the encryption, the longer it takes for computer(s) to crack or break the code.
40 bit: It is computationally feasible to crack a 40 bit key. For this reason 40 bit encryption is rarely used.
128 bit: It is computationally unfeasible to crack a 128 bit key. All banking infrastructures use 128 bit encryption.
We strongly recommend the use of 128 bit SSL encryption for any application or web site.
