SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption is a security feature available on all paid Account plans. (It is not available on the Commons plan.)

When you use SSL, data sent over the Internet is encrypted before transit, ensuring that, if it is intercepted, no one can read the data.

You can login to any database using SSL (if the account is using one of the above-mentioned plans) using two methods:

• At the login page, click the SSL-secured session checkbox before logging in.

• Change your bookmark to start with https:// instead of http:// (or type the address as such if you type it in manually).

If you are the administrator of a database, you can choose to force encryption to be used always.

Go to the settings and click on the Admin Users & Security tab.

Check the box beside Force the use of SSL. In future, any user logging into the system will automatically have SSL activated.

You can verify that SSL is active by looking at the address of the web site and seeing “https://” at the beginning. If it says “http://” without S, the connection is not encrypted.

Most web browsers also display a lock icon somewhere on the window to indicate an encrypted connection.