Security and Your Website

Since launching the Lightframe this summer, there have been some questions and mis-information out there about security. From the day we started FareHarbor, all communication between you, your customers, and FareHarbor has been securely encrypted over SSL. (When SSL is enabled on a website the address starts with https://, and browsers usually show a green lock icon.)

This has also always been true of the Lightframe.

Even so, we’ve always strongly encouraged that clients also add SSL to their websites. There are a few reasons for doing this:

• It increases trust for customers visiting your website. The Lightframe basically loads a special page on https://fareharbor.com on top of your website, so although it is secure, the browser does not show the green lock because the main page the user is on doesn’t change.
• Putting SSL on your site even has some SEO benefits, as Google’s future standards will rank sites served over SSL more highly, and you’ll be able to see the names of other https sites that linked to you in your analytics.
• It’s more secure! If the connection between your visitor and your website were to be compromised, attackers would still not have access to the information being entered or submitted through the Lightframe. But a hacker could do things like direct your visitors to another fake checkout page.

Adding SSL to your site addresses all of these concerns, and is easy. SSL can usually be added by your web developer or through your hosting management for a minimal yearly fee. We’re committed to security and making sure you and your visitors stay safe. We’ll be contacting any of our clients currently using the Lightframe without SSL in the coming weeks to answer any questions and to help you choose the best option for you.