Can I see your ID?

Can I see your ID?
It’s hard to believe now, but those were the most feared words a thirsty 20 year old college student could hear - particularly when trying to buy beer! I can remember trying to look older, trying to look nonchalant, even pre-occupied with something else to get past the watchful eye of the clerk.

Just like the liquor store owner checking the id’s of misguided youths, you need to check the “id” of websites where you shop - or share any personal information. There are some new phishing attacks where fraudsters are re-routing search engine results. Think of it like getting a new yellow pages book every day, and on occasion the number you see in the book is NOT who it is supposed to be!

Leaving that attack aside, here's some easy steps for the home user to follow to ensure safe surfing.

example 1.


2 things to consider for ‘checking this ID’:
1. is your internect connection to this website safe?
2. is the website who you think it is?

All internet traffic travels through many servers and computers you’ll never know or see. Think of the difference between mailing post cards and mailing letters. They both get to their destination, but one can be read very easily along the way. By having a ‘safe connection’, you’re wrapping a virtual envelope around your message. To verify you’re safe, look at your browser – do you see a padlock? It’d either be in the address bar, or on the bottom (or both!). Also, in this example on Mozilla Firefox, there is a yellow color and I can see the letters HTTPS. In Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and beyond this same area will turn green so you have a good visual all is ok. HTTPS stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol – Secure. Without the ‘S’ even if you logged onto the site your data is not traveling across the wire in a safe fashion.

For websites to be able to use this protocol, they have registered with an independent vendor (think of the internet’s Certificate Authority (CA) similar to a Public Notary) to verify they are who they say they are. There are a few companies that issue these certificates - one is Verisign. Here is what it looks like if you see the verisign logo on a site and follow the link.

To recap: if you have to share your personal information, you're basically ok IF

1. You typed in the website address (URL) in your browser address window
2. There is an HTTPS (secure Hyper-text Transfer Protocol) prefix on the address
3. There is a locked padlock on the bottom of your browser
4. You're using a computer that is virus/malware free