Which Of The Following Does A Secure Website Use To Safeguard Transmitted Information?

You hear about data breaches all the time. Honestly, the numbers are insane. In 2024 alone, we’re looking at global costs crossing the $5 trillion mark. It’s not just the money either—your reputation, your customers’ trust, your entire business can be on the line.

So let’s cut through the noise and look at how websites actually protect your personal and financial info when you’re browsing, buying stuff, or managing your accounts.

What Website Security Really Means

At its core, website security is just a fancy way of saying: “keeping the bad guys out.”

Whether you’re entering your credit card on an online store or logging into your email, you’re trusting that website to keep your private info private. If a site isn’t secure, hackers can snoop, steal data, or worse—commit fraud using your details.

A secure site protects both sides:

• The business running it.

• The users trusting it.

When that security breaks down, you’re looking at potential:

• Identity theft

• Credit card fraud

• Stolen passwords

• Full-on data breaches

I’ve seen companies lose millions because they ignored basic website security. One client I worked with in 2018 thought SSL was optional—until their entire customer list was leaked.

7 Key Things Secure Websites Use To Protect Your Data

1) SSL and TLS Encryption

Let’s start with the workhorses: SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security).

• SSL used to be the standard. But honestly? It’s outdated.

• TLS is the new sheriff in town. If your site isn’t using TLS by now, you’re playing with fire.

Both of these basically scramble the data between your browser and the website. If someone tries to intercept that data? All they see is gibberish.

I remember updating a client’s eCommerce store in 2022—we moved them to TLS 1.3 and instantly stopped a string of man-in-the-middle attacks that had been targeting their checkout page.

2) HTTPS (Not HTTP)

You’ve seen it: the little padlock in your browser.

That’s HTTPS in action. It simply means SSL/TLS encryption is active. Without it? You’re transmitting data in plain text. Literally anyone sitting between you and the server can read your info.

When you shop online or log in, always check for:

• HTTPS at the start of the URL

• A padlock icon in the browser

If either’s missing? Walk away.

3) Strong Encryption Standards

Even with encryption, it’s about how strong that encryption is.

Most secure sites today use:

• AES-256 encryption (Advanced Encryption Standard)

• RSA for key exchange

Breaking AES-256 would take longer than the universe has existed. Not kidding. That’s why banks, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies use it.

4) Digital Certificates & PKI

Here’s where Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) comes into play.

When you connect to a secure website:

• Your browser checks its digital certificate.

• This confirms you’re talking to the real website, not some imposter.

The certificate comes from trusted providers like:

• DigiCert

• Let’s Encrypt

• GlobalSign

Without this step? You’re wide open for hackers to steal your info.

5) Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Passwords aren’t enough anymore. Not even close.

That’s where MFA steps in:

• Password + fingerprint

• Password + one-time SMS code

• Password + authenticator app (like Google Authenticator or Authy)

I personally switched all my client portals to mandatory MFA back in 2021. Since then? Zero account takeovers. Zero.

6) Hashing Algorithms

When websites store passwords, they don’t actually save your password directly (or at least, they shouldn’t).

Instead, they use hashing:

• Turns your password into a fixed-length string of characters.

• Even if someone steals the database, they still can’t see the real passwords.

One of the gold standards here is SHA-256.

7) Message Authentication Code (MAC)

MACs don’t get talked about much, but they matter.

When data gets transmitted, a MAC:

• Confirms it wasn’t altered in transit

• Proves it came from the real source

How You Can Tell If A Website Is Secure

Look—it’s not just on the businesses. You’ve gotta do your part too.

Here’s a quick checklist for you every time you visit a website:

• Check for HTTPS in the URL.

• Look for the padlock icon in your browser.

• Click the padlock and review the certificate info.

• Make sure the certificate comes from a trusted authority.

• Check that the certificate isn’t expired.

• Watch for sketchy domain names or weird spelling.

• Enable MFA on your accounts wherever possible.

Honestly, these simple habits have saved plenty of people I know from handing over personal info to scammers.

Bottom Line

Website security isn’t one-and-done. The threats evolve. The protections evolve. And both businesses and users need to stay sharp.

• Use SSL/TLS.

• Demand strong encryption.

• Rely on digital certificates.

• Enforce MFA.

• Verify hashes.

• Validate messages with MAC.

This stuff works. I’ve seen companies survive attacks because they had these in place. And I’ve seen others fall apart because they didn’t.

Now let me ask you: when was the last time you actually checked if the sites you use daily are secure?