Credentials Establish Identity Online

Credentials for establishing identity are common: a driver’s license, a passport, a company badge. SSL Certificates are credentials for the online world, uniquely issued to a specific domain and Web server and authenticated by the SSL Certificate provider. When a browser connects to a server, the server sends the identification information to the browser.

To view a Web sites’ credentials:

Click the closed padlock in a browser window

Click the trust mark (such as the VeriSign Trust™ Seal)

Look in the green address bar*