AL: Did I do the right thing? I wanted to buy some gym equipment from an e-commerce website, I was about to register, when I noticed something strange in the address bar… PT: The triangular icon with an exclamation mark? AL: Yes! Something like that, I can’t really remember… But the message next to it said: “Not secure”! So I gave up and did nothing else… PT: You did the right thing, do you know why? PT: When you visit a website, you use a browser.
To allow you to access the website contents, the browser receives and transmits data, i.e. it communicates with another server, called web server, which is also connected to the Internet. However, as this communication occurs, you must be careful. If the communication is not encrypted, problems may arise! AL: Encrypted in the sense of hidden? PT: Precisely! If the communication is encrypted, nobody else can read it, but if it is “not-encrypted”, it is easy to intercept and can be read as plaintext! This is why the browser warns you with symbols and messages, such as “Not secure”, as if it were saying: “Make sure you do not enter important data, because that data can be easily captured by criminals”! So be very careful, especially when you browse the Internet using a public or unprotected Wi-Fi network. AL: Well, I think I will need intense training to become an expert in safe browsing! PT: That’s the spirit! With this training, you will be able to tell a secure website from a not-secure one, you will discover which symbols alert you to possible dangers and the difference between an HTTP and HTTPS web address. Don’t be fooled, learn to recognise the Internet’s risks.
