In today’s business world, information is the key to success, with a large portion of the worth of a business concentrated in the value of its information. This means that when it comes to information security, there is little room for error, as the consequences of failing to secure your data can be both costly and reputationally disastrous.

There is an inherent conflict between the way the world is evolving and the requirement for security. Digital business is transforming industries and innovation cycles keep on accelerating, which paves the way for disruptive competition. IT and business agility is now critical for success.

POODLE (or padding Oracle on downgraded legacy encryption) is a vulnerability that enables attackers to gain access to things like passwords, cookies and users' private account data on a Web site. It exploits the outdated SSL 3.0 security protocol.

Google is adding its considerable weight to the online security space by giving a rankings boost to sites that go HTTPS. HTTPS means adding an SSL 2048-bit key certificate to a Web site, and thus increasing the security of the site.

One of the bigger concerns in the software industry is how to ensure users can trust code that is published on the Internet. Browsers typically display a warning message explaining the possible dangers of downloading data, but do nothing in terms of verifying that the code is what it claims to be.

Self-signed SSL certificates can be downloaded free off the Internet and are not verified, warns Megan Rehbock, certificate service manager at LAWtrust.

Websites have been using SSL technology for years to ensure their security, and the certificates and their uses are well understood. SSL that only protects users at login, however, leaves them vulnerable when they're spending time on your Web site.

Minister of Home Affairs Naledi Pandor announced last week that 100 000 South Africans will have smart ID cards by 31 March. She further announced that another 25 Home Affairs offices have been digitised, in addition to the three used during the smart ID card pilot project.

South African cryptographic security provider, LAWtrust, the first provider in Africa to be certified by both WebTrust and Adobe, has recently been included in the Microsoft Root certificate program.