Changes to browser HTTPS warnings in Firefox and Chrome

In a previous blog entry, I mentioned how Google is moving towards giving a slightly better ranking to sites using SSL certificates. This forms part of a gradual push from the major browsers to make website owners use encrypted HTTPS connections and generally make the web more secure.

Recently, in an effort to pursue this trend towards greater security, browsers have started adding a warning showing 'not secure' (in Chrome) and a broken padlock (in Firefox) on website pages that include a login or a payment form that is not secure. By not secure we mean a page served via a non-encrypted HTTP connection which would allow a hacker to steal the information that is submitted via the form.

Many website owners do not realise the importance of using a SSL certificate so that pages can be served over an encrypted HTTPS connection. The issue is not only that the data submitted via unsecure forms could be stolen by hackers, but also that using a SSL certificate is one of the many elements that contribute towards a good search engine ranking.

The internet is moving in the direction of needing everything to be encrypted and the use of SSL is going to be a baseline requirement in the very near future for all sites, not just those using forms to submit data. In fact, a Google engineer recently wrote "eventually, Chrome will show a Not Secure warning for all pages served over HTTP, regardless of whether or not the page contains sensitive input fields. Even if you adopt one of the more targeted resolutions above, you should plan to migrate your site to use HTTPS for all pages."

If you would like to get a SSL certificate for your website, please click here or contact us by opening a support ticket.

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