How to ensure that my Internet session is secure?

How to ensure that my Internet session is secure?

When you're on a site or visit your bank, always make sure that your Internet session is secure. This involves checking the following five points:
- https appears in the URL of the site
- Checking the validity of the safety certificate
- Presence of a padlock at the bottom right of your screen
- Information contained in the Certificate
- Closing the windows of your browser

Presence of https in the URL of the site



Validity of the safety certificate
ATTENTION, if the security certificate is invalid, this is the message that appears on the screen:

When this window appears, do not click especially on "Yes". This means that the site's certificate is not valid.
There are three possible causes of invalidity:
1. the certification authority is not recognized (especially in case of phishing or pharming);
2. the certificate is no longer valid because its validity date has expired;
3. the site name does not match the certificate (especially in case of phishing or pharming).


Presence of a padlock at the bottom right of your screen
A small padlock appears at the bottom right of your screen (see below).



Information contained in the Security Certificate
Check the certificate by double clicking on the padlock. Below is what you would see on the General tab.



Then click the Details tab and then click in the Subject column Champs, here is what you see:




Closing the windows of your browser
No other window of my browser (Explorer, Netscape, ...) is open. The idea is to prevent access to my online account via another site.