How to tell if your connection to a website is secure

Have you ever noticed that green padlock in the address bar of your browser?

Do you know why it’s there?

There are two simple ways to ensure you are securely connected to a secure website:

1) https://

Look at the web address in your browser, and make sure the web address starts with https://

https:// is a way of securing your website.  It is more secure than just http://

It gives you a nice, green padlock in the address bar of your browser.

2) The green padlock

Look for a closed padlock in your web browser.  When you click on the padlock you should see a message that states the name of the company and that “The connection to the server is encrypted”.

To most users, this means all is safe with this website and you can trust it.  Most users feel happy to enter credit card details and passwords on any site with such a reassuring green padlock.

Anything else to check?

Many would be surprised to know that the green padlock doesn’t mean that a website is safe and trustworthy.   While you definitely shouldn’t enter sensitive details when a green padlock is not present, the mere presence of it does not indicate that the site is safe.
The green padlock indicates that:
  1. You are definitely connected to the website whose address is shown in the address bar; the connection has not been interrupted.
  2. The connection between your web browser and the website is encrypted to prevent eavesdropping (with the purpose of stealing your information).
However, these two things do not necessarily mean that a website can be trusted.  For instance, you might have www.amaz0n.com with a green padlock in your address bar.  This simply means that you have a secure connection to www.amaz0n.com, which is not www.amazon.com.  So a good check is always to make sure that the web address is correct and the green padlock is present.

So, remember:

  1. Do not log into a site if it is not secure as described above.
  2. Do not log into a site if you feel it is a fake.  Call the company directly.
  3. Log out of the site when you are finished.

I still have questions!

For more advice on this, or any security issues, have a look at our website, or call the datamills office on 0114 287 0510.

 

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