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All You Need To Know About HTTPS

Most online websites rely on third party vendors for secure socket layer (SSL). However, before entering your payment information such as credit card details, PayPal username or password it is important to be sure that the page is secure by checking for HTTPS at the uppermost part of the page. HTTPS if well used is the best way of keeping your information safe from wrong hands.

What is HTTPS?

HTTP is Hypertext Transfer Protocol and the ‘€œS’€ signifies Secure. This is actually the first element you spot on any URL and it is used to send information over the web. Majority of web browsers including internet explorer take advantage of an encrypted protocol known as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to retrieve computer data and files from secure web pages. Such pages will; contain the prefix HTTPS.

However, if you are using the web and not inputting sensitive information then you are safe using HTTP://. On the contrary, on pages that require sensitive details such as your credit number, password, or any other financial detail, it is imperative you confirm if the prefix used is HTTPS://. If you fail to detect the ‘S’€ which guarantees you that any information you input is secure, do not attempt to proceed.

Why go HTTPS?

What HTTPS does is provide encryption, which blocks authentication, and sniffing thereby preventing spoofing. The first indication of whether a website is secure for processing your information over the web is by checking the presence of prefix HTTPS. Website security is vital since it safeguards your sensitive information from fraud and identity theft. This simply means that the only people that will have access to your information are the company and yourself.

HTTPS errors to watch out for

Even though it is paramount to confirm if the web page has the prefix HTTPS, it is also vital to check whether your computer has a quality anti-virus program. This is because a virus infection can enable intruders of your payment information to get hold of everything you input into your computer. That is why it is advisable to never save your private information like bank account details, social security, and credit card number on your computer. Instead, put such information in your head or in any other safe place.

A virus has the potential of secretly installing a program into your computer. This places your information in a vulnerable position of being retrieved by the public. Many people do now know that you may be using webpage that has HTTPS yet has an error on it. Use the secure webpage with caution. Check if the left lower hand corner of the page has a yellow triangle normally with an explanation point on it. Yes, the website may have an SSL but it may be improperly installed. Do not overlook such errors and compromise your information simply because you spot the prefix HTTPS.

How to go HTTPS

First and foremost, make sure that the SSL certificate is properly installed and it’€™s working. Then go to the admin dashboard and point the cursor on Settings. Proceed by clicking General. You will see WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL). Replace the default HTTP:// for both cases with HTTPS://. Do not forget to save the changes by clicking on the save button.

Conclusively, it is important to check HTTPS of any website before giving any of your personal information. However, its also important to be aware of certain HTTPS errors like the one discussed above.

Written By

Lee Tyrrell is one of the two brothers behind NFC Direct. They began researching the potential of NFC in 2008, eventually founding NFC Direct in 2012. Now, they are a market leader in NFC to the UK and beyond. They offer a wide range of nfc tags, ncf cards and much more for complete NFC solution.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Sudipto

    April 23, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    Hey roman,
    As I am a student, My teacher told us about HTTP but he never told us about HTTPS but after reading this post I learned lots of good and new stuff. Thanks for sharing this post.

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