Up to 18 percent of servers using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption technology for Web site encryption are potentially vulnerable to hackers, with the problem being far more pronounced in Europe than in the U.S., according to the latest monthly survey . . .
Up to 18 percent of servers using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption technology for Web site encryption are potentially vulnerable to hackers, with the problem being far more pronounced in Europe than in the U.S., according to the latest monthly survey of Web server usage conducted by Netcraft Ltd.

SSL is a common protocol for managing the security of message transmission on the Internet. Browser-based SSL technology is most secure if the server's public key, used to guarantee the authenticity of a transaction, is at least 1024 bits long. The use of shorter keys makes it easier for hackers to break the key and impersonate the server, the Bath, England-based company said Tuesday in a survey posted on its Web site.

Currently, about 60 percent of all Web sites using the SSL technology are based in the U.S. and approximately 15.1 percent of those sites are using short keys, Netcraft said.

The proportion of Web sites using potentially vulnerable SSL keys becomes even larger outside of the U.S., the study found. In France, 41.1 percent of SSL sites use the shorter keys, followed by 31.9 percent in Spain and 26.5 percent in the U.K., Netcraft said.

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