www.developer.com/security/article.php/640401
September 19, 2000
But my number is sitting on a serverSome sites used to store card numbers unprotected directories on their servers. Hackers rolled in and stole the numbers. That was a very dumb move on the site administrator's part and, hopefully, won't happen again. Any Web developer with half a brain houses submitted credit card numbers in a secure directory.At the end of a business day, the numbers are retrieved through the use of a password system.
How does the business draw funds?Once you have entered in your card and the business takes it from the server, the process works much like any other business that accepts credit cards. Either the business itself or a company built to handle large volume numbers makes an electronic transaction with the bank, and funds are transferred from the card to an account.Some businesses even have systems set up so that the transfer is done automatically. No person ever sees the card number. In my case, we do it by hand, connecting directly to the bank that holds our account. The transaction is encrypted and immediate. The session last no longer than the time required to make the transaction. Once I get the validation number, the server kicks me off.
So, it's perfectly safe?No, there's no such thing as perfectly safe. There are still steps where the number could be grabbed, but not from the server during the transaction. What I wanted to point out here are the steps businesses take to ensure your transaction is as safe as can be.Now that you've read the basic process, I think you'll agree that out of all the methods of delivering credit card numbers for purchase, giving a card online is easily one of, if not the, safest out there. Enjoy!
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