When accessing application services over the internet, you receive information from, and you send information to the service application. This information can be transferred ‘in the clear’ or ‘encrypted’ depending on the service providers site security.
As with access to stored data, any data flowing across networks can be intercepted by others. If intercepted, it is important to know whether the data is encrypted and safe, or whether it can be interpreted by others.
For example, when accessing web-sites, it is possible to see whether your information will be encrypted in transit from your workstation to the web server. If the site is supporting encryption, the web address (URL) will be https:// followed by the web server details. A site that does not encrypt data in transit will be http:// without the ‘s’ for secure.
If you are entering personal and confidential information on a web-site, always make sure it is secure. If not, your information can be intercepted.