The official name of the problem is Root Certificate Expiration. One way that your credit card number and other personal information is secured on the Internet through your Internet browser. Within the browser software, your transaction is encoded so if outside parties intercept it, they won't be able to read it. A feature of Netscape browsers and Netscape secure server products created by VeriSign, a major vendor of online security technology with whom both Netscape and Microsoft work is the source of the problem. VeriSign provides the part of server security known as digital certificate technology.
Digital certificates play a supporting role in Web site security.
The core part of secure user information is the encryption process provided by SSL, short for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol developed by Netscape for transmitting private documents via the Internet. Both Netscape and Internet Explorer counter security threats with the SSL technology, which is a set of rules, followed by computers connected to the Internet. To check a location's security status, look at the site's URL in your browser window. In Netscape Navigator 3.0 and earlier, the broken key symbol in the lower-left corner of your browser window becomes solid when you are in secure mode. In Netscape Communicator 4.0 and 4.5, the padlock symbol in the corner, usually open, is closed in secure mode.