As a mortgage professional in Canada, you likely understand the importance of ensuring that your client's personal and financial information is protected. This is especially true when it comes to sensitive information that is transmitted through your website. One of the best ways to protect this information is by using SSL encryption.

Industry best practices dictate that you use a secure online mortgage application through a third-party platform like Finmo, Velocity, or the one provided by your brokerage network provider. It is not advised to use a contact form on your website to collect confidential client information. However, even if you're linking to a separate mortgage application form, SSL Encryption is one way to ensure the online security of your clients.

What is SSL Encryption?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is now referred to as TLS (Transport Layer Security). This technology creates a secure connection between the user's web browser and the website, encrypting all information transmitted between the two. This helps to ensure that sensitive information, such as client personal and financial details, cannot be intercepted and misused by cybercriminals.

Benefits of SSL Encryption

There are several benefits to having SSL encryption on your website as a Canadian mortgage professional, including:

1. Protection of sensitive information: As mentioned, SSL encryption helps to protect sensitive information transmitted through your website, including client personal and financial details.
2. Increased trust: Having SSL encryption on your website can improve clients' confidence in your business. They are more likely to feel comfortable entering personal information on your site when they know it is secure.
3. Improved search engine ranking: Google and other search engines increasingly use SSL encryption as a ranking factor. Having SSL encryption on your website can help improve your search engine rankings, making it easier for clients to find you.

Possible Exploitations if SSL Encryption is Not Present

Not having SSL encryption on your website can lead to several exploitations, including:

1. Man-in-the-Middle attacks: In this type of attack, a hacker intercepts the communication between the user and the website, allowing them to access sensitive information such as login credentials and other personal details.
2. Sniffing: In this attack, a hacker monitors network traffic to capture sensitive information transmitted over an unencrypted connection.
3. Phishing attacks: In this attack, a hacker creates a fake website that looks identical to the original, tricking users into entering their personal information.
4. Tracking Code: In this attack, hackers can potentially use a compromised website to track clients to multiple websites. If a hacker gains access to a website and installs malicious code, they can use tracking cookies or other methods to track a client's online activity even after they leave the compromised site. This can allow the hacker to gather sensitive information such as login credentials and other personal details, potentially giving them access to multiple accounts and sensitive information across different websites.

In Summary

The most crucial threat you need to protect yourself and your clients against is the tracking code. A website that has SSL Encryption does this.

As a Canadian mortgage professional, having SSL encryption on your website is essential for protecting your client's personal and financial information. Not only does it help to keep this information secure, but it will also increase trust in your business.

At Deploy, all our websites come with SSL Encryption built in. You don't have to subscribe to it as an additional product with your registrar or provider. Look at our Essential Mortgage Website; it's precisely what you need to build your business online. And as it comes equipped with SSL Encryption as a standard feature, you and your clients will have confidence all information is secure.