How can we verify identity of sites on the Internet and ensure we are connecting to a legitimate site while on the Internet? This article is a simplified guide on how to ensure site identity on the internet.

As users, we have a basic need to verify the identity of the sites we visit on a regular basis. Regardless of the site, we want to know the site we are visiting is legitimate and not a malicious site trying to steal our information. With an increase of usage of the Internet for both personal and business purposes, the need for site identity verification becomes vital. So what can we do to ensure the site we are visiting is legitimate and not a malicious site trying to steal our identity and/or funds?

Before we dive into what we can do to verify identity, let us look at how we access a website on the Internet. For us to access a site, we need 4 main things: a device with an operating system, a browser to open the site, an internet connection and lastly, the site address referred to as a uniform resource locator (URL) e.g. www.masisha.com.

First and foremost, the connection to the site must be over https with a valid ssl certificate. Https stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure and is a protocol of delivering a url to a web browser. Https ensures the data from the web server to the browser is encrypted as it travels over the internet from the server to the web browser on your device. Encrypted data ensures that even if someone intercepts the data being sent, they cannot see what is being sent. Https is used in conjunction with ssl certificates to ensure a user can check the validity of a website from their end.

{To do this, click on the padlock before the https on a website address to view the certificate information}. Certificates are traditionally issued by a certifying authority i.e. a trusted organization that digitally signs certificates so they can be trusted by browsers and individuals.

Modern browsers will give you a warning that there is an issue with the certificate. If a certificate is not signed by a trusted third party or has expired, a warning will be generated and this tells you that trusting the website is at your own risk and can lead to all sorts of security issues.

Also read on: How to Protect your Kids while Online

Secondly, some sites have the provision for 2 factor authentication (2FA). This authentication is based on what you know, for example, a password and what you have more often than not a mobile phone or a token generator. Once you turn on 2 factor authentication every time you want to log in to the website, it will prompt you for your password and additionally a token that is sent or generated by your device. This will help you validate the site you are visiting as you have to provide both the password and token to log in. If you are not prompted for both, then you know something is off. It is quite difficult for someone to fake a site and know how you set up your 2 factor authentication ie the number of app you use for 2FA.

Thirdly, password managers can assist with verifying the legitimacy of a site. A password manager is a program that stores your passwords for various sites and when accessing the sites fills in the username and password required. The first time you log into a site, it will allow you to enter your credentials then store them securely and use them every time you want to log into the site. The advantage of using a password manager is that it will not only store the login credentials but the site url address as well. Therefore, if someone has a similar looking site, it will not have the credentials stored in the password manager and this can alert you to a malicious site.

In addition to these three things ensuring your device and browser are up-to-date also assists in verification of sites you want to visit. Modern browsers will warn you of a site is there is an issue with it.

Finally, running an antivirus program can help since it scans the sites you are visiting and alerts or blocks attempts to access malicious sites.

We hope this article will help you to verify the sites that you visit and play a part in ensuring you do this in a safe manner. Till next time, as the Vulcans say, live long and prosper!