Surely you have come across a site labeled as “unsafe” by your browser, or perhaps it is with your own site that you have encountered this problem.

But is it serious? What can be done to solve it?

In this article, we will look in detail at the differences between the various errors that identify a site as “unsecure,” and with the right methods, we will go about solving this issue related to an unsecured connection once and for all.

For our tests we will use the Google Chrome browser, but the argument applies to any modern browser.

Why does the warning appear indicating an “unsafe” site?

The “not secure” site warning appears because we are connected via HTTP protocol, which unlike HTTPS does not offer protection while browsing.

HTTPS what does it mean? The acronym HTTPS stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure, the security factor is already mentioned in the same acronym with the letter S.

To check which protocol we are connected with, simply click on the browser’s url bar and read the entire address. If the address starts with https:// we are in good hands.

An HTTPS-protected site is safe for classic browsing, but more importantly, it is safe when we need to make online purchases on an e-commerce site.

https browser warning

Are all “unsafe” site warnings the same?

The errors that warn us that we are dealing with an unsafe site are similar to each other, but they are not identical.

Our browser will always warn us when it detects security problems or other types of anomalies and, in severe cases, prevent us from continuing browsing. This often happens when we come across an invalid certificate or certificate error.

In the case of Google Chrome (particularly since version 68, released in July 2018), the site is highlighted as unsafe if it does not meet some precise security standards.

Even we may be penalized in the indexing of search results if we do not take immediate action.

We can divide these warnings into three broad categories, listed below in ascending order of severity.

Warning “Connection to this site is not fully secured”

A site with this warning is in principle a secure site, but there are calls to external resources such as images or javascript files that compromise the total security of the system.

If we are mere users of the site, we should not be overly concerned; however, we avoid entering personal information. But even worse, we avoid entering our credit card information.

Unsecured connection to this site

“Not secure” warning, “Your connection to this site is not secure”

The warning “Your connection to this site is not protected” indicates a more serious problem than the previous one, in this case the HTTPS protocol is totally absent and does not guarantee us any protection, even partial.

The advice in the first case applies, i.e., avoid entering personal information or credit card details, just browse the contents of the site.

Manual entry of the abbreviation HTTPS, substituting it for HTTP in the browser address bar, may work in some cases. This is not a guaranteed result, but it costs nothing to try.

Connection not fully protected

Full page warning “Connection is not private”

When the alerts become intrusive as in the case of a non-private connection, it is preferable not to proceed with browsing and change sites.

Looking deeper into the issue, the full-page warning that reads “Connection is not private” indicates a serious security problem related to the certificate, but in all likelihood the domain has been blacklisted by Google and the site is potentially dangerous.

In fact, in our example it is precisely the Google Chrome browser that advises us against continuing with browsing. So if the information on the site is vital we proceed at our own risk, but remember to use an antivirus with web protection.

Needless to say, putting confidential data on such a site is extremely dangerous; the advice is to avoid it at all costs.

Non-private connection

What is the solution to the “not secure” site warning?

If we do not own the site, we should not be overly concerned.

Just be careful not to enter personal information, banking credentials and credit card details, and in the case of full-page notices, it is advisable to leave the site.

However, we can report the issue to the site owner, requiring them to implement an SSL certificate to achieve the HTTPS secure protocol.

If we own the site, it is advisable to take immediate action to resolve the problem, because we may experience a sudden drop in visits.

The problem is aggravated if we have e-commerce because we would see a drastic reduction in our profits, so it is better not to waste time.

As site owners, we must first verify that our hosting provider provides us with an SSL certificate to integrate into our website, which can usually be requested via control panel.

Then you can proceed with configuration and routine checks, using different browsers both desktop and mobile.

We have to make sure that all traffic is carried via secure protocol, and if there are external resources they too will necessarily have to go via HTTPS.

Remember that these operations are essential if we have an e-commerce, but it is recommended to use the HTTPS protocol even if we only have a blog or a showcase site.

 

Are you experiencing security problems with your site? Contact us for a free consultation, we will do our best to help you.

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January 29, 2022

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