Why A Secure Connection?

What is a secure connection?

This website uses Secure Sockets Layer or SSL with Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (https://)  This is a network security protocol that secures data between the user and the server by utilizing an encryption algorithm along with a series of security keys.  This allows information between the user and the website to be encrypted and sent securely over the internet.

Why use a secure connection?

Utilizing a secure connection can help prevent the theft of data by hackers using ‘man-in-the-middle‘ security exploitations.  Using a secure connection helps maintain the safety of your online requests.  Secure connections are most often used to transmit credit card information safely for online shoppers.  I utilize an https:// secure connection on goodfellow.us to ensure that information on these pages is sent securely.  I consider privacy and security to be of utmost importance.

How do I know my connection is secure?

Look at the address bar in the top left corner of your screen for  https://  indicating that the site you are connected to has a verified security certificate.
Firefox:     Chrome:     Internet Explorer:  
You can click on the lock symbol to view the certificate.  Make sure that the URL that follows the https:// is what you are expecting (on this website: https://nathangoodfellow.us)  Any unexpected URL, such as: https://some.unknown.ip.or.website.com  can be a warning that you are being subjected to a phishing attack.  Pay very close attention to the Second Level Domain when submitting information to a website.  It comes before the Top Level Domain (TLD) in the Root Domain Name System (Root DNS)
Example domain structure: http://sub.subdomain.secondleveldomain.tld