YES! You read it right. From July starting, Google Chrome will start marking as “NOT SECURE” to HTTP sites, according to a google chrome marks blog post released by Chrome’s security product manager Emily Schechter. Chrome currently displays a neutral information icon, but starting with version 68, the browser will warm users with an additional notification in the address bar. Chrome currently marks HTTPS-encrypted sites with a green lock icon and “Secure” sign.
Google has being poking users away from unencrypted sites for years, but this one is the most forceful poke yet. Google search began down-ranking unencrypted sites in 2015, and the following year, the chrome team instituted a similar warning for unencrypted passwords fields.
The chrome team said that, this announcement was mostly brought on by increased HTTPS adoption. 81 of the top 100 sites on the web default to HTTPS, and a strong majority of chrome traffic is already encrypted. “Based on the awesome rate that sites have been migrating to HTTPS and the strong trajectories through this year,” Schechter said, “we think that in July the balance will be tipped enough so that we can mark all HTTP sites.”
How will this affect your browsing experience?
Our straight answer would be; it won’t. You will still be able to browse non-HTTPS websites as previously you used to do. The idea behind this step is to let users know that their personal and private information is at a higher risk of getting access to unauthorized people while browsing non-HTTPS sites.
Will this affect websites that do not adopt HTTPS?
YES, if websites does not use HTTPS might witness a fall in traffic, as a yellow triangle with “NOT SECURE” plastered next to it has the potential to scare away some of the more categorized users. However, it is a good thing for the long run, as it will incentivize more developers to use HTTPS on their websites.
Seriously, there is no reason developers shouldn’t adopt it. It is cheaper and simpler than ever before. Let us Encrypt and Google’s SSL for Google App Engine makes it a lot easier for HTTPS to be implemented. There are also tools such as lighthouse, which identifies websites resources that are ready to be upgraded to HTTPS.
What Should I Be Doing to Secure My Pages?
If you believe as we do that HTTPS is going to be the new standard, then I can bet you’re thinking about what you actually need to do to ensure your corporate web pages and landing pages are secured. The three steps given below are meant to get you started on the right direction.
STEP 1: Check your Corporate Domain is Secure
While the title of this step sounds like you need to have mad technical skills- you really don’t. The thing you need to do is to type your corporate website URL into any browser. For us, it’s opening up chrome and typing, www.subsign.co. You are looking to see if the address bar says HTTP: or HTTPS: and/or if using chrome, you are searching for green lock and the word “Secure” when you load. If you see HTTPS, your corporate site is secure. It is that easy.
If your business site is not secured, you may want to do a quick audit of your pages. You want to note the address of any page that has a form or collects information. With the recent update to chrome, it’s those HTTP page that collect data that will display the “not secure” warning in the address bar. This list will also give you a starting point for the discussion you will need to have with your IT and web teams in the next step.
STEP 2: Meet with a professional & experienced Web Team
It is now time to enlist your experts. Make a schedule and set a time to meet the person who is responsible for your corporate website or others you trust and have a proven record of accomplishment. You will want to be sure they know of the changes to chrome browser. & you want to know of any plans that may already be in place to secure your corporate pages.
Google has shared web traffic stats.
- More than 68 percent of android and windows Chrome traffic is now protected
- More than 78 percent of Chrome OS and Mac traffic is now protected
- 81 of the top 100 sites on web use HTTPS by default.
It is also being said, even HTTPS isn’t 100% waterproof, however, it is a step in the right direction to ensure a more secure browsing experience for everyone.
Get your SSL Certificate.
If you still need help, contact branding marketing agency.
