HTTPS – Security and Verification
When sending sensitive information like your user name and password, you need to confirm that you’re actually sending it where you believe it is going. This is where HTTPS comes in. HTTPS is the protocol, or language, that computers use to communicate that is secure and verifies the identity of the website you’re using. Anyone can make a fake website that looks like the real one, but with HTTPS and checking the website address, you’ll be far safer on the internet.
You have to do your part for HTTPS to protect you. Before you TYPE any sensitive information into a website, check the address bar. Confirm that it begins with HTTPS and that the address shown is where you believe you are.
Warning Messages
When using HTTPS and a problem is encountered, your browser will alert you. These warnings are serious and you need to heed them. They will give you an option to ignore the warning, but you should always contact us when these warnings arise. They will vary depending on what web browser you use.
Example of Phishing Site
The site pictured above wouldn’t trick someone who checked the address bar.
It purports to be Google Drive, but if you look at the address bar: you see that it is clearly not on google.com. Additionally, it doesn’t use HTTPS, so even if it did say google.com, it would be fake because Google in particular always uses HTTPS. In fact, almost any website where you type a user name and password on the internet uses HTTPS.
Every time you send sensitive information, please take this extra step to protect you and your company from a data breach, loss of information, embarrassment, and liability from disclosure of others’ private information.
If you encounter a suspicious website and need assistance in determining its legitimacy, please reach out to us.
