Do you know how you can ensure that the connections you’re making online are secure or not? With cyber threats on the rise, it’s a question which is on everyone’s mind.
Keeping this in mind, Cybersecurity Ventures conducted research and published its findings. It concluded that cybercrime is expected to cause damages of almost $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.
Now, are you aware of what a secure connection means? In simple words, a secure connection means that the communication between two systems cannot be read or altered by someone who shouldn’t have access to it. This is extremely necessary for things like online banking or sending emails.
It is important for you to recognize the importance of secured connection. So, read ahead.
Key Indicators For Identifying A Secured Connection
1. HTTPS Protocol
One of the first things that you need to see before attempting to open a website is to check if it has a HTTPS in the URL.
Unlike HTTP, HTTPS uses SSL/TLS which encrypts all the incoming data. When visiting a website, this should always be the first thing that you check the browser’s address bar. If it starts with “https://”, it means the site is using SSL/TLS and is secure.
2. Padlock Icon
In most browser icons, you’ll see a padlock icon just next to the URL. It signifies that the connection is secure. If you want to read about the security details on a particular website, click on this Padlock icon.
If you see a closed padlock sign after the URL, it means the connection is secure. However, if the padlock icon is open or absent, it means that there are certain security risks and you should not open it at all.
3. SSL/TLS Certificates
SSL/TLS certificates are digital certificates issued by Certificate Authorities (CAs) that authenticate a website’s identity and enable encrypted connections.
These certificates contain details such as the certificate holder’s name, the certificate’s serial number and expiration dates, and the digital signature of the authority that issued it.
4. Browser Warnings
Modern browsers are equipped with security features that warn users when they attempt to visit a site with a potential security issue. These warnings may appear as red warnings or full-page alerts advising against proceeding to the site.
Pay attention to these warnings as they indicate the site may not be using a secure connection or could be compromised.
How To Check If A Site’s Connection Is Secure In Chrome
Ever wonder if the website you’re visiting is safe? Chrome makes it pretty easy to check. Here’s what you need to know:
Steps To Verify A Website’s Security
1. Open the Website in Chrome
Just open up the web page you’re curious about.
2. Check the Security Status Symbol
Look to the left of the web address in the address bar. You’ll see one of these symbols:
3. View Site Information
Click on the security status icon to get more details about the site’s privacy and permissions.
6 Ways To Ensure Your Connection Is Secure
If you want to keep your connection secure, follow these ways to check if a website is secure.
1. Install SSL/TLS Certificates
Ensure that your site contains a valid SSL/TLS certificate. If you don’t have one, install it. It is essential as it shows the visitors that your website is safe.
Most web hosting services make it easy to install these certificates, so it’s a simple but crucial step to take.
2. Use Strong And Unique Passwords
It doesn’t matter which account it is, just make sure it has a unique and different password from the others. Also, don’t ever make the mistake of using an easy password like “password123” or “123456”.
Don’t ever use the same password for multiple websites. Think about using a password manager. It can create and store complex passwords safely, making sure each account has a unique and strong password.
3. Keep Your Software Up To Date
Keep your browser and software up to date. Don’t ever ignore these updates as you might not know why a cyber-attack could happen.
Turn on automatic updates whenever you can. This way, your software stays up to date and helps protect you from security breaches.
4. Verify Website Authenticity
Before putting sensitive information on a site, ensure it’s the authentic one. First, check the domain name to be sure it matches the site you want to visit. Look for security signs like HTTPS in the URL and a padlock icon in the address bar.
Be careful of websites with misspelled URLs or missing security signs. They could be fake sites trying to steal your information.
5. Don’t Use Public Wi-Fi
You might find Public Wi-Fi networks to be a great luxury but they are also the easiest to hack through. If you use these, hackers can easily take our personal data. So, try not to use these networks ever.
However, if it’s really important, connect to a VPN first. It will make your internet connection secure. VPN makes it much harder for anyone to steal your information.
6. Implement Authentication Protocols
Now, this might be last on the list, but should be done as soon as you get an email for your domain. For added email security, authentication protocols are absolutely necessary. So, make sure your email has DMARC service enabled along with SPF and DKIM.
DMARC is like a shield which stops cyber attackers from pretending to be you. Whereas, SPF and DKIM are like digital signatures of your domain. Setting up these tools right can make your emails much safer. You can follow the Google and Yahoo email requirements to implement these.
Summing Up
So that was all from this article. Always remember to keep a close eye on the indicators that we talked about earlier like HTTPS, SSL/TLS certificates, and browser warnings.
These things will keep your personal information safe by telling you if the connection or website is secure or not.
