Tech

Google Chrome To Get More Serious About Online Security, To Push Even Harder For HTTPS encryption [VIDEO]

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Google is about to get more serious about online security and user safety. The company is making a huge announcement that Google's Chrome, the world's most widely used browser, will soon start warning users about visiting HTTP pages. Google made the big announcement this week.

The Mountain View-based company is currently expanding its effort to push websites to implement HTTPS encryption. Google is now starting its grips on HTTP sites, to use not secure warning on Google Chrome browsers. Starting October, Google Chrome will roll out new warnings to warn users about HTTP connections on its Google Chrome browser, the PCWorld reported.

Google's expanded effort will likely add pressure on site owners to implement the necessary SSL/TLS certificates and setup HTTPS encryption to their websites. But the company would like to do the transition nicely, that's why it's giving website owners a significant amount of time to be ready for the next phase of its plan to mark all HTTP pages as 'not secure', the website added.

HTTPS, which stands for Hyper Text Transports Protocol Secure, is the secure version of HTTP, an internet communications protocol for secure communication over a computer network. This secure version of HTTP offers a much better protection against cyber threats. It often used to protect highly confidential online transactions such as online banking and online shopping.

Starting with Google Chrome 62, the ubiquitous web browser will start showing the 'not secure' warning label to users who enter data into HTTP sites. In a recent Chromium Blog post, Google made the big announcement that its giving website owners only around six months to enable HTTPS encryption.

Additionally, Google Chrome will not label all HTTP websites as non-secure pages. But it will also make some sort of red triangle to come out with the better warning. Thankfully, Google has also released an online set-up guide to help websites move to HTTPS encryption.

However, Google has not provided much information about when it will expand non-secure warnings to include more HTTP pages, which is today only used the warning label for broken HTTPS.

Back in January, Google Chrome first started to use the 'not secure' label. But only for HTTP pages that contain form fields for entering a password and other confidential information.

The danger with the old HTTP pages is that the data that being transmitted is still unencrypted, leaving it open to eavesdropping and cyber espionage. Here, hackers will have an easy way to get in by compromising network routers, snooping over public WiFi connections, or through the use of the so-called man-in-the-middle attacks which involve impersonating legitimate website or services.

In addition, Google Chrome will also introduce warnings for all HTTP websites even the user selects and use Chrome's Incognito mode. HTTP is said to be not private on the network, so Google Chrome will also warn users when visiting HTTP websites in Chrome's Incognito mode.

According to tech pundits, the other big reason why the search giant is dragging everyone to embrace HTTPS encryption is to support its massive push for developers to adopt progressive web apps through JavaScript 'service workers'. This feature, which sits between the browser and network, will require users to enable HTTPS first.

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