November 1, 2010

This month I would like to have a quick discussion about website security certificate issues.  I've had several clients lately with this problem, which has a very simple fix.

First of all, let's discuss what a security certificate is, in layman's terms.  When you purchase something, or do something such as online banking, you go to a secure website to do your transaction.  You will note the address of the website is usually https://XXXX, rather than http://XXXX.  you will also note the icon next to the address box which looks like a paddle lock.  That shows you that you are on a secure site and will also allow you to view information about the certificate.

When you are on a secure site, the information you exchange with the site is kept confidential so that other people can't access it while you are providing the information.  If the site is a fake site created by a scammer, there will be problems with the security certificate and you will get a message telling you there are problems with the certificate and asks whether you want to proceed to the site.  This is for your protection.

With the tightening of security and newer sites and software, the computer is more critical than ever for everything to be OK.  I've had several instances lately where clients have had issues with security certificates and the solution is simple, though not obvious.  Go to the clock, right click, then left click on adjust date and time.  Make sure the they are correct, but you MUST also make sure the time zone is set properly for where you are.  If not, you may experience problems not only with secure sites, but also some other sites which check these items.  Sometimes the fix is not that difficult, the problem is to know the importance of date, time, and time zone for total operation of your computer.