Tuesday, July 20, 2010

http and https

THIS CHECKS OUT AS TRUE ON THE TRUTH OR FICTION SITE.

What is the difference between http and https when looking at URLs?

Do not know how many of you are aware of this difference, but it is worth sending it out to any that do not know.

The main difference between http:// and https:// is . . . It's all about keeping you secure.

HTTP stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol

The S (big surprise) stands for "Secure." If you visit a website or web page, and look at the address in the web browser, it will likely begin with the following: http://.

This means that the website is talking to your browser using the regular "unsecured" language. In other words, it is possible for someone to "eavesdrop" on your computer's conversation with the website. When you fill out a form on the website, someone might see the information you send to that site.

This is why you never ever enter your credit card number in an http website! But if the web address begins with https://, that basically means your computer is talking to the website in a secure code where no one can eavesdrop.

You understand why this is so important, right?

If a website ever asks you to enter your credit card information, you should automatically look to see if the web address begins with https://.

If it does not start with https://, you should NEVER enter sensitive information such as a credit card number.

PASS IT ON. You may save someone a lot of grief.

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