How Yahoo uses SSL to protect your account

Yahoo is committed to your online security. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is an industry standard for encrypting private data sent over the Internet. In other words, it helps protect your account from hackers and insures the security of private data sent over the Internet, like credit cards and passwords.

How to tell if SSL is being used

Look for the "s" in the start of the Web address:

  • SSL is being used: https://
  • SSL is not being used: http://

How SSL works

Encryption scrambles and unscrambles your data.

  • A public key scrambles the data.
  • A private key unscrambles the data.

Credit card security

When you make a purchase on Yahoo, we'll only finish the transaction if your browser supports SSL. As you enter your credit card number, SSL encodes it so it's transmitted in a format that prevents eavesdropping or data theft. When it's received by our secure server, your credit card number is never transmitted over the Internet again.

Using SSL with your Internet browser