Encrypted Web Surfing

At present, most websites are only available in unencrpyted form. That means that all data is transferred in plain text and is readable by any eavesdropper. This is also true for personal or secret information which is entered into a form field on a website, including passwords.

One alternative is the encryption of sent data. Encrypted data can only be decrypted by the receiver. An eavesdropper only sees random gibberish.

Whether or not encryption is being used can usually be determined by a symbol in the status bar and the bottom of the browser window. The symbol is usually a small padlock which is closed for "encrypted" or open for "not-encrypted". In some browsers the symbol is a key which is broken for "not-encrypted" and whole for "encrypted".

One should take care that a 128-bit key is used for encryption. Older web browsers only supported 40-bit or 56-bit encryption which is easily cracked.

Info: If you click on the encryption symbol, you can get more information about the type of encryption, including the length of the key. In Internet Explorer, the key length is also displayed under "help-info" on the menu bar. If the key length is too short, you should download a newer version of the web browser.

Info:JAP and Encryption...

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