Sunday, April 27, 2014

Oops HTTP or HTTPS ??




Most of internet websites depend on third party vendors for secured 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


secure-browser



Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a communications protocol for secure communication over a computer network, with especially wide deployment on the Internet. This is actually the first element you spot on any URL and it is used to send information over the web.Technically, it is not a protocol in and of itself; rather, it is the result of simply layeringthe Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) on top of the SSL/TLS protocol, thus adding the security capabilities of SSL/TLS to standard HTTP communications. The security of HTTPS is therefore that of the underlying TLS, up to dateencrypt the data flow between client and server

Why use 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.

 HTTP is insecure and is subject to man-in-the-middle and eavesdropping attacks, which can let attackers gain access to website accounts and sensitive information. HTTPS is designed to withstand such attacks and is considered secure against such attacks.



Things to check in HTTPS

Though HTTPS is secured network , we need to ensure that the antivirus that we are using is quality one and the datebase is up to date. 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
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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 is 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.

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