- May 2017: The web faces turmoil caused due to WannaCry attack.
- May 2017: Gmail users are targeted with a phishing scam in which the hacker tries to gain access to mail accounts through third-party apps/software.
- June 2017: Another web epidemic in the form of NotPetya attack.
- September 2017: The Equifax breach puts at risk data of over 143 million consumers.
These are few of the many cyberattacks that hit the internet last year. The number has been found to be increasing every year. The gruesome after-effects of these attacks are beyond the imagination of an organization. A security breach due to inadequate security measures or a loophole in the security can not only risk the customer data but can also damage the reputation of the firm.
Web browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox have been regularly upping their security measures to ensure that the web is secure and safe for everyone.
Google even started the notion of ‘HTTPS everywhere’ and has maintained that SSL certificates are an important component of SEO ranking.
Reportedly, from July 2018, Google will be marking all HTTP sites as ‘not secure’ in the new release, Google Chrome 68. Currently, Chrome has a neutral icon in the address bar for HTTP sites and marks HTTPS encrypted websites as Secure with a green padlock sign.
Google has been pressing on this issue for very long. As a result, over 68% of the Chrome traffic both on Android and Windows was identified as protected, and 81 out of the top 100 sites were reportedly using HTTPS as a default – per the google blog.
But with this update, it plans to make HTTPS a minimum criterion for website security. Chrome 68 will let users identify whether a site is encrypting traffic or not through the ‘Not Secure’ warning in the URL. The planned update will look like this:
The main purpose here is to refrain the website visitors from filling any form or entering data, until the security of that data is ensured. This will affect the lead collection on your website as until you have the secure sign, visitors will shy away from providing their details
Reportedly, Google will further be launching its Chrome 69 version by September 2018. With Chrome 69, Google will not be marking HTTPS websites with a Secure sign. It wants the users to believe that the web is secure by default. So, the current green color padlock will be replaced with a grey colored lock.
As part of its further updates in October 2018, the Google team plans to execute some more security measures, wherein, as soon as a user starts entering data on an HTTP site, the ‘Not Secure’ warning will be flashed in red to warn the user of the potential risk of data.
What does Chrome 68 update mean for me?
Per global market share held by the leading desktop internet browsers from January 2015 to May 2018, Chrome stood with a market share of 66.93% per Statista.
Chrome for Android is the leading web browser with 27.62% followed by Chrome 63 per the report.
Chrome is the most popular web browser. This update will affect every website on the internet – from a simple blog to an enterprise website, all need to take this very seriously.
If you fail to load a security certificate on your website, your visitors might start seeing a red flag against your URL in the address bar pretty soon. A lack of an SSL certificate can take away your prospects now.
Why is an SSL certificate so important?
SSL certificates are not only required by websites which process payments or ask for user information, in fact, it is important for nearly every website that collects visitors’ data. Even if you are running a simple blog, you do not want the visitors to know that your website is not secure. An SSL certificate is important to win visitor’s trust.
An SSL certificate provides:
- Encryption: Data encryption ensures that the sensitive information like login passwords, credit card numbers, account details etc. that are shared during an e-commerce transaction are encrypted while in transit. Only the web server and the visitor can decrypt the information. This means, nobody can misuse or steal the data during transit.
- Authentication: There’s no doubt that people today are highly conscious when they are making payments online. Site authenticity will gain visitors’ trust. A green padlock on the site ensures that the site is completely trustworthy and authentic.
- SEO ranking: Since 2014, Google has been considering websites with SSL certificate in SEO ranking. Thus, having an SSL on your site will increase your probability to rank higher.
- Protection of your own information: That’s another important benefit. You need to protect your data too. SSL certificate ensures that the data you send through your website like a promotional code is also secure as SSL secures both sent and received data.
How can I secure my site?
The most common solution would be to go for an SSL certificate. While, you can go for a free SSL certificate too, we recommend buying a strong SSL certificate for your site.
ZNetLive offers Comodo SSL certificates for complete protection of your website. These act as the perfect digital security solution for your site and customer data. 128 or 256-bit encryption ensures a rock-solid security of your website data. Comodo is the market leader in SSL/TLS certificates, so you do not need to worry about your customer data at all.
Don’t wait till the Chrome update gets executed, buy an SSL certificate today to secure your site.
Services ZNetLive offer:
