Security

We use the industry's highest level of Secure Socket Layers and 128-bit encryption code. This provides security on 3 levels:

1. Server authorization, thwarts imposters
2. Encryption of transmitted data, thwarts eavesdroppers
3. Data integrity validation, thwarts vandals

Our servers are housed in the same data center used by 42 states' governments and most of the major US cities. It's two stories underground, has 6-foot thick walls, uses biometrics to limit entry, and has multiple back-up and redundant power supply! Its safe!)

We require the use of a secure browser to access account information. The Netscape Navigator, the Netscape Communicator, and the Microsoft Internet Explorer are all secure browsers. Secure browsers employ Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to communicate with servers. To access account information, you must provide a User ID and a Password to enter the secure area of the site.

For starters: Do no share your password with anyone and never write it down. Change your password often, and be sure that you do not use common words found in the dictionary or a series of numbers. We recommend that you combine names you would remember easily with numbers, i.e., a pet name and your birth date. Never walk away from your computer for an extended period of time while in session. Finish your transaction or completely close down your browser to end a session.

SSL is a protocol designed by Netscape Communications Corporations to provide secure communications on the Internet. SSL does three things:

1. SSL authenticates that the server you have connected to is the one it purports to be.

2. SSL creates a secure communication channel by encrypting all communication between the user and the server.

3. SSL conducts a cryptographic word count to ensure data integrity between the server and the user. The word count or checksum provides a count of the number of bytes in a document and ensures that exact number of bytes is transmitted and received. With SSL, even this checksum is encrypted so it cannot be modified. If a message is not received in its entirety, it is rejected and another copy of the message is sent automatically.

There are two ways you can tell:

1. Check, the web address you have accessed. If you are in a secure area, the address will be as follows: https://www.billsite.com. The ''s'' in the address mean that you have accessed a secure server.

1. In Netscape 4.0, Microsoft 3.0 or higher, there is a picture of a lock in the lower right hand corner of your browser's application window. If the lock is closed you are in a secure area. For Netscape 3.0, you will see a solid key in the same area.