Move to HTTPS
Well, I hope that you all are good explorers of the web. Browsing information on the web is kind of an art, funny and enjoyable, right? But, let me ask you a question… “How well you’re aware of the security of the websites that you browse the most?”. In this article, I’ll share some ideas on ‘Security On The Web’ and also the importance of HTTPS.
Well, have you ever heard about HTTPS before? I hope, you all have heard at least once or many times. It’s the abbreviation of HyperText Transfer Protocol Secured. Simply, the secured layer of the HTTP protocol. So, what exactly is the word ‘secured’ means? Every website is basically an information system, which shares a lot of information to the user, for example, some of them share information about news, cooking recipes, hotel room booking, sports, etc. may some also contain sensitive and potentially risky data.
What about the intruders? Yup, there is always anonymous people waiting for your insecure arrival. They can simply exploit the site you’re visiting by injecting some malware functions and codes and steal all your data shared with that particular site and use it for their own needs, it can also be illegal activities. So, that’s why you must make sure that you’re talking to the site over secure connection!
For example, suppose you’re browsing a website, say example.com are you sure that you’re really talking to the real example.com or some other example.com that’s really waiting to steal your data? This is where the importance of SSL certificates and HTTPS rise. HTTPS helps prevent intruders from tampering with the communications between your websites and your users’ browsers. Intruders include intentionally malicious attackers, and legitimate but intrusive companies, such as ISPs or hotels that inject ads into pages. SSL certificate is a proof that makes sure when you’re browsing a website you’re really talking to the real example.com. If you’re a Google Chrome user or Firefox user you may have seen the Green Lock icon on the leftmost side of the URL bar for HTTPS connections.
Finally, HTTPS is not only about securing the data you send to the server but also about securing the data the server sends to you. Suppose, you’re browsing a website over normal HTTP protocol, there’s always possibilities of the site to be exploited by intruders with their own advertisements, harmful contents, or something even more dangerous. But, when you’re browsing over secured HTTPS protocol, the secure layer will not let anybody attack you by injecting some special scripts or some harmful content.
[Tweet by Jake Archibald, developer advocate for Google Chrome about HTTPS]
So, all you have to do next is just buy SSL certificates for all your sites and make them secured. And make sure to visit websites over HTTPS only. If you’re a web app developer, you must note that almost all new browser features and Web APIs require HTTPS connection. Powerful, new web platform features, such as taking pictures or recording audio with getUserMedia(), enabling offline app experiences with service workers, or building progressive web apps, require explicit permission from the user before executing. Many older APIs are also being updated to require permission to execute, such as the geolocation API. HTTPS is a key component to the permission workflows for both these new features and updated APIs.
That’s all, a little introduction to “What & Why HTTPS”. Read more about HTTPS and Web Security on
Google Web Developer Notes: https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/security/encrypt-in-transit/why-https
MDN Web Docs: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Security
Thanks:)
