Transaction security on the MIG USA web store

What is a secure connection

How Does HTTP Work?

In the beginning, network administrators had to figure out how to share the information they put out on the Internet.

They agreed on a procedure for exchanging information and called it HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

Once everyone knew how to exchange information, intercepting on the Internet was not difficult. So knowledgeable administrators agreed upon a procedure to protect the information they exchanged. The protection relies on SSL certificates to encrypt the online data. Encryption means that the sender and recipient agree upon a "code" and translate their documents into random-looking character strings.

The procedure for encrypting information and then exchanging it is called HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).

With HTTPS if anyone in between the sender and the recipient could open the message, they still could not understand it. Only the sender and the recipient, who know the "code," can decipher the message.

Humans could encode their own documents, but computers do it faster and more efficiently. To do this, the computer at each end uses a document called an "SSL certificate" containing character strings that are the keys to their secret "codes."

SSL certificates contain the computer owner's "public key."

The owner shares the public key with anyone who needs it. Other users need the public key to encrypt messages to the owner. The owner sends those users the SSL certificate, which contains the public key. The owner does not share the private key with anyone.

The security during the transfer is called the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS).

The procedure for exchanging public keys using SSL certificates to enable HTTPS, SSL and TLS is called Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

How do I know if I am on a secure connection?

It's quite easy. Your browser will show that kind of information no matter what brand or version. To find that information you have to look in different places depending in the browser you use.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

IE will show a Lock Icon on the address bar. The prefix https on the address also denotes that you are on a secure connection. By clicking the lock you have access to details about the certificate issuer, the domain or host secured and on some extended certificates you may even get details for the entity that purchased the certificate.

Firefox

Firefox behaves differently. The lock icon appears at the bottom right on the status bar. But you have more information on the address bar. Along with the https prefix on the address, the blue area on the address bar indicates that the certificate was issued to the entity visible on that area. The color (blue or green) indicates the type of certificate being used. Normal or extended.

Google Chrome

Again a little variation, but it's all there. The prefix https changes color to green and a small Lock Icon appears at the right of the address. By hovering the cursor over that Icon you get a message saying "Secure connection..." to the site.

What are the areas where this secure connection exists?

In our site you are not always connected by a secure channel. In fact, using HTTPS all the time causes a performance degradation and an increased load on the server. That's why you navigate the site over a non secure connection most of the time.

On the sensitive areas you connect over a secure channel.

When creating an account, editing an existing account, on login and on checkout you are always exchanging information on a secure connection. These areas are the ones where you exchange sensitive information with the server, whether is your password and personal details or your Credit Card number at checkout time.

We hope you enjoy the site

From MIG Productions USA - Thank you and Happy Modeling.

Rick Lawler
MIG Productions USA