Browser Security

When using Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicator, visual symbols - a lock or a closed padlock - signal you when your browser is in secure mode.

When you visit a secure site, Internet Explorer displays a lock icon in the lower-left corner of your window. In the status bar.

In Netscape 6, the padlock symbol, usually open, in the lower-right corner of your browser window, is closed in secure mode. In Netscape Communicator 4.75, 4.5 and 4.0, the padlock symbol, usually open, in the lower-left corner of your browser window, is closed in secure mode. In Netscape Navigator 3.0 and earlier, the broken key symbol in the lower-left corner of your browser window becomes solid when you are in secure mode.

The 's' means secure. To check a site's security status, look at the site's URL in your browser window. In secure mode, the address (URL) will begin 'https://' The 's' added to the familiar 'http (to make 'https') indicates that SSL is in effect. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a set of rules followed by computers connected to the Internet. These rules include encryption, which guards against eavesdropping; data integrity, which assures that your communications aren't tampered with during transmission; and authentication, which verifies that the party actually receiving your communication is who it claims to be.

We recommend you download the latest versions of Netscape or Microsoft browsers.