Security

When we talk about security, we don't just mean protecting the transmissions between your computer and our systems. We do far more to help safeguard your information. And there are important things you should do as well.

We have an integrated system of industry best practices and technologically advanced safeguards that includes:

• SSL and encryption
• Firewall
• Monitoring

SSL and encryption. We use an industry-standard technology called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt the information flowing between your computer and our servers. Encryption works by scrambling words and numbers before they travel across the Internet so they can't be read or altered by anyone.

There are several levels of encryption—the higher the number, the more secure the communication. Browsers that support 128-bit encryption offer the best protection.

The section below about "Security measures you can take" explains how to tell whether you're on a secure page.

Firewall. A firewall is a combination of hardware and software deployed to control the information that can pass from the Internet into our internal systems and servers. Firewalls enforce a set of rules intended to bar intruders and viruses from gaining entry.

Monitoring. We continually monitor our systems for evidence of attempted break-ins. Our monitoring methods combine internal resources and security companies we pay to safeguard your information.

There are numerous actions you can take to increase your Internet security.

• Use a browser with 128-bit encryption or higher.
• Clear your cache.

Use a browser with 128-bit encryption or higher. To enter the secure areas of our site, your browser must support minimum 128-bit encryption. When you log into a secure area, we test your browser automatically. If it doesn't support 128-bit encryption, we'll let you know and provide links to help you upgrade your browser.

Clear your cache. As an additional precaution after visiting any secure site, you may wish to delete any page images your browser stored to your hard drive to speed up your computer's performance during a transaction. These page images are called "cache". Your computer uses cache to make your experience faster by loading images from your hard drive rather than downloading them repeatedly from the website's server.

We use intensive testing procedures and other safeguards to verify that customer information is protected but no security system is foolproof.