Secure
Socket Layer (SSL) is a security standard for web Mail Systems. It is a
cryptographic protocol that encrypts web mails as it travels between server and
browser.
SSL helps end users protect their accounts from hijacking when they are
connected in an unsecure network. A popular attack program is ‘Firesheep’.
Yahoo! has been a laggard when it comes to site security but now, the
wait is over.
Yahoo
has announced that it will activate SSL for all Yahoo Mail at the beginning of
next year i.e. on January 8, 2014.
Google became the first major Web mail service to implement default SSL in 2010
and revealed that it was moving towards the next level of cryptographic
protection called, Perfect Forward Secrecy.
Facebook turned on SSL for all connections in July 2011. Twitter used SSL
in early 2011, followed by a default implementation in August 2011 while Yahoo
lagged behind in this race.
Yahoo
announced that its SSL implementation plans include the use of the tougher 2048
bit encryption, which Google switched Gmail to earlier this year.
When
the user wants SSL protection, then he/she has to do this manually, as follows:
§ Select “Options/Mail
Options” on your Yahoo Mail screen.
§ Select “General”
from the Left menu.
§
Check the box for “Turn on SSL”.
§ Click “Save”.
But
now as Yahoo has decided for default SSL encryption, so the user is free from
the headache of turning on the SSL encryption for account’s security.
So, Yahoo! has taken steps to modernize Yahoo! Mail’s
security by switching to HTTPS encryption, which is a bit late but appreciable.
Author : Iman Majeed
0 comments:
Post a Comment