Using secure Internet sites for transactions

Many Internet sites are set up to prevent unauthorized people from seeing the information that is sent to or from those sites. These are called "secure" sites. Because Internet Explorer supports the security protocols used by secure sites, you can send information to a secure site with safety and confidence. (A protocol is a set of rules and standards that enable computers to exchange information.)

When you visit a secure Web site, it automatically sends you its certificate, and Internet Explorer displays a lock icon on the status bar. (A certificate is a statement guaranteeing the identity of a person or the security of a Web site. For more information, see the Related Topic below.)

If you are about to send information (such as your credit-card number) to an unsecure site, Internet Explorer can warn you that the site is not secure. If the site claims to be secure but its security credentials are suspect, Internet Explorer can warn you that the site might have been tampered with or might be misrepresenting itself.

Note

Some secure sites require a higher level of connection security than what you might have installed on your computer. In the United States or Canada, you can upgrade to 128-bit secure connection support, however due to legal restrictions this software is not available worldwide.
International users may still be able to conduct 128-bit transactions without this upgrade, if the server supports Server Gated Cryptography (SGC). SGC is available worldwide for qualifying sites. However, some United States and Canada financial sites that do not use SGC may require the 128-bit upgrade be installed on your computer.