It seems like only yesterday that we published an article highlighting the update from Google that they would be flagging non-secure (non-HTTPS) sites from July this year.
Well, it’s July, and as promised, the search engine giant – via it’s Chrome browser update to version 68 – has started to do just that.
As of yesterday, Chrome is flagging unsecured websites of all kinds (not just those that use passwords or take credit card information), that do not meet its HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) configuration, as ‘Not Secure’ in the website address bar.
What does ‘Not Secure’ mean?
This is simply a warning to users that the site they are visiting does not take measures to scramble or conceal in any way the data that passes between you the user, and the website itself.
What does this mean for you the user?
Non-secure sites are far more vulnerable to phishing and other forms of Cybercrime that could exploit your credit card and/or other personal details.
This allows online criminals to steal and abuse this information for their own gain, and your personal loss.
Thus, if you are on a ‘Not Secure’ site, you should be very wary of inputting personal data of any kind, but ultimately you should be using HTTPS-secure sites as often as possible.
One of the key early offenders is the extremely popular Daily Mail ‘Mail Online’ website, one of more than 50% of the Internet’s top 1-million websites that has not converted to HTTPS status.
While the ‘Not Secure’ status will not prevent users from accessing a website, the knock-on negative impression that this status may have on users is a serious consideration for website owners.
For more information on how to convert your website to HTTPS or for any other enquiries related to website security and implementation, contact Realnet today on +44 1223 55 08 00.