The yellow security padlock in Web browsers, weakened by lax standards and loose supervision, will get reinforced next year with tougher requirements and browser updates. The browser icon was designed to show that traffic with a Web site is encrypted and that a third party, called a certification authority, has identified the site and vouches for its validity. To solve that problem, a group of companies that issue the Secure Socket Layer certificates are working with major Web browser makers to develop a new type of “high assurance” certificate. What’s new: A group of companies is working to rebuild trust in the SSL security certificates issued to Web sites by developing industrywide standards for a stronger, “high assurance” product.
Bottom line: The tougher certificates, coupled with browser developments, could help fight “phishing,” which threatens the multibillion-dollar online retail market.