After two years of warnings, Google Chrome68 is now marking unencrypted (non https) sites as “not secure.” The move is part of Google’s ongoing plan to make the internet a safer place.
Google began warning users about higher security standards, more than a year ago. We knew there was going to be some kind of tag or flag, identifying sites that were not secure, (non https). This week we got to see what Google was working on. The warning might look slightly different in other browsers, like Firefox or Safari.
We know Google is already talking about additional steps to make non secure sites easier to identify. They’ve announced plans (beginning in September) to change the color of the warnings to a more conspicuous “red.” And there are rumblings in the IT world that future efforts might include pop-up windows with very aggressive warning messages, for non secure (non https:) sites.
How Do You Know if Your Site, or the One You Are Visiting is Secure?
Check the upper left corner of your browser where the address bar is located. If a closed lock appears to the left of the address bar, the site is secure. If the lock is open or shows a ! with a circle around it, the site is not secure and does not have HTTPS.
If your site is not secure, (you do not have an https: site), you can still correct this problem by applying secure socket layers (SSL).
Adding SSL to your site is a process, wherein an IT professional examines the code on every single component of your site. All blogs, images, pages…etc. have to be examined to make sure all aspects of the site are secure. Once that is completed, https: can be added to your website. This can be a tedious process. In the same way a mechanic reviews all the systems of your car, before issuing a safety sticker; we at Web Design by Knight review all the systems of your website, to show the internet your site is “secure.”
If you ignore Google’s new requirements, you can expect to see your web traffic begin to decline. Applying SSL to your site is the new minimum standard. By not securing your site, you are telling your visitors you really don’t care about their security. If you have questions about SSL, feel free to contact us. We are here to help.
Is My Website Secure?
No security system or code is 100 percent fail safe. But Google plans to continue moving in the direction of better internet security. At Web Design by Knight, we are constantly monitoring your site for any possible security threats. And we watch any and all advices coming from Google, to make sure your search is as safe and effective as possible. We’ve been working for more than a year, preparing our clients for this week’s action. If you aren’t sure about the security of your site, please contact us with your questions.
Using the Web Design by Knight website, we created these graphics, to show the changes of this week.
