March 2018 - Rainford IT

If your website has an SSL certificate it means there is a bit of code on your web server that provides security for online communications. When a web browser contacts your secured website, the SSL certificate enables an encrypted connection.

It’s kind of like sealing a postcard in an envelope before sending it through the post.

You can find out more here: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/6073543?hl=en

On 8^th February, 2018, Emily Schechter, Chrome Security Product Manager posted on the Google Security Blog: “For the past several years, we’ve moved toward a more secure web by strongly advocating that sites adopt HTTPS encryption. And within the last year, we’ve also helped users understand that HTTP sites are not secure by gradually marking a larger subset of HTTP pages as “not secure”. Beginning in July 2018 with the release of Chrome 68, Chrome will mark all HTTP sites as “not secure”.

You can find out more here: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/6073543?hl=en

It means that it will be safer to surf the web because you can tell which websites are secure and which aren’t. Safe websites will have a little green padlock in the address bar like this:

Once your website has an SSL Certificate it will rank higher in search results because Google search engines prefer encrypted sites.

What is SSL?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private. To be able to create an SSL connection a web server requires an SSL Certificate. If you visit a website without SSL your data can be traced and Google want to ensure that their web browsers’ data is safe. So, very soon, any website that is not secure will not rate high in Google searches – so your website is unlikely to be found unless people specifically search for your domain name – and spell it correctly.

If you have a basic, fairly up-to-date website, you shouldn’t be charged more than £120 to encrypt it, make it secure, and provide the initial SSL certificate. Renewal of your certificate thereafter should not be more than £50 per year.

If your website has not been updated in the last year there may be some security issues that also need addressing and, if you rely on your website for online sales, the sooner you get an SSL certificate the better. Contact us for more information.

Computers can diagnose prostate cancer almost as accurately as specialists, according to research that promises to give results within hours.

Artificial intelligence software was trained to grade the severity of tumours accurately in an advance that will ultimately mean much quicker diagnosis.

The machine learning algorithm is already more than 99 per cent accurate at assessing biopsy samples and within a few years could be routinely used in NHS clinics. The use of AI to interpret scans and samples is one of the fastest-progressing areas of medicine, and last year Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, said that within a decade we could be going to computers instead of doctors for a diagnosis. NHS bosses are looking closely at how to use such programmes to interpret x-rays and MRI scans.

The first such study suggests that the method will also be a viable way of assessing biopsy samples taken from men thought to have prostate cancer. Chinese scientists took tissue from 283 patients and then divided them into 40,000 samples, 30,000 of which were used to train software to spot those that contained cancer.

The program was then tested on the remaining 10,000 samples and was able to distinguish cancer in 99.38 cases out of 100 when assessed against pathologists. It was also able to classify the tumours by grade, Hongqian Guo, of Nanjing University, told the European Association of Urology congress in Copenhagen last week.

“Until now, automated systems have had limited clinical value, but we believe this is the first automated work to offer an accurate reporting and diagnosis of prostate cancer. In the short term this can offer a faster throughput, plus a greater consistency in cancer diagnosis,” Dr Guo said. “We still need an experienced pathologist to take responsibility for the final diagnosis.”

Jo Martin, president of the Royal College of Pathologists, said that AI would help to ease a shortage of specialists and help by doing routine analysis, freeing up pathologists for unusual cases.

Month: March 2018

What is an SSL Certificate and why does your website need one?

Computers can spot cancer faster than specialist doctors