What's the best method of making website forms secure using ssl?

Is it as simple as installing a secure cert for a domain and then sending visitors to the formmail page w/ an "https" address? Or is there more to it?

Originally posted by Highforge
What's the best method of making website forms secure using ssl?

Is it as simple as installing a secure cert for a domain and then sending visitors to the formmail page w/ an "https" address? Or is there more to it?

Depending on how the information is stored or sent out, it might not help (too) much. It never hurts to encrypt the data sent to or from the web page, but if this is for email, then it will still be stored locally in plain text or sent out from the server to a remote SMTP server in plain text. Using PGP in addition to SSL is the way to go if you want to encrypt the data being sent to/from the form submission and then sending out the email or storing it.

Sounds logical.

But, more importantly, how? Are there any practical references on the subject that aren't brain melting? Any preexisting scripts or services for handling this function using cpanel? I'm striking out on google.

It depends what the form is trying to process.

If its critical information, such as cc or something like that you want to use an encryption method, but if just for name last name etc.
using a form and ssl should be ok.
:)

We plan on using both. But just wondering where to start in getting a simple email form on a website linked to ssl and pgp. I know cpanel has the ability to generate pgp keys and I know how to install ssl certs...but don't know how to link up the three elements. Any good tutorials or books or even scripts/services for doing this?