When it comes to HTTP vs HTTPS, the devil is in the details. Not like, literally. He\u2019s not waiting in the minutiae to plunge a pitchfork into your nether regions or anything\u2014it\u2019s just an expression. But it\u2019s a good one. Especially in my experience. For instance, I used to think I was in a good parking spot, safe, under a tree, shaded from the hot sun\u2014but those birds\u2019 nests in the branches said otherwise. A pretty big detail to miss. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to be vigilant, cautious. I wasn\u2019t born that way, but I sure am now. My car has been pooped on a lot in life.<\/p>\n
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But that\u2019s not why we\u2019re here. We\u2019re here to talk about the difference between HTTP and HTTPS. How on the internet, that one little letter \u2013 S \u2013 makes all the difference. A small detail, it may seem, but an important one.<\/p>\n
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. I didn\u2019t know that until I looked it up. Hypertext is normal text that is flipping out like a four-year-old at a birthday party [Editor\u2019s Note<\/strong>: No, it\u2019s not]. Actually, I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s right [Editor\u2019s Note<\/strong>: It isn\u2019t\u2014Hypertext is structured text that uses hyperlinks between nodes containing text], but that\u2019s not really important for the sake of this discussion [Editor\u2019s Note<\/strong>: It kind of is]. All you need to know is that the HTTP protocol is used to transmit information between a web server and a web browser.<\/p>\n What\u2019s interesting is that HTTP first debuted in 1997, the same year that Mike Tyson bit off part of Evander Holyfield\u2019s ear\u2014which, incidentally, is why I never let anyone with a gap in their teeth get too close to my head. The fact that HTTP is still in use today means that it\u2019s old\u2014ancient by internet standards.<\/p>\n The problem with HTTP communication is that it\u2019s not encrypted. Encryption is the process where all communication from a browser is basically scrambled, or encrypted, and the only one capable of unscrambling it is the web server with the proper key. HTTP doesn\u2019t have that capability. So, all of the communication that\u2019s occurring between the browser and the server during an HTTP session is out in the open\u2014visible to anyone who cares to see.<\/p>\n That\u2019s dangerous.<\/p>\n For a layman, like myself, that means anything you send to that website is capable of being intercepted or altered by any interested third party. Banking information, personal details, ANYTHING you send can be stolen. You are not safe. It\u2019s enough to make you want to stop using the internet altogether.<\/p>\n I did. I stayed offline for seven months the first time my identity got stolen\u2014thanks to not knowing that I wasn\u2019t secure over HTTP. The last time it happened I felt almost as silly as the time a now ex-friend of mine tricked me into jamming my credit card into my computer\u2019s floppy disk drive to pay for a set of, well\u2026 nevermind. Of course, you millennials probably don\u2019t even know what a floppy disk is\u2014aside from perilously close to a phallic spelling error.<\/p>\n Anyway, sticking a credit card into a disk drive to pay for online transactions don’t work, by the way. And neither does HTTP. I mean, it does work. But it\u2019s not safe.<\/p>\n Before we get to HTTPS, I have to try and explain SSL\/TLS. An SSL Certificate is what enables encryption, except an SSL Certificate is actually an SSL Certificate in name only. You see, SSL has evolved and is now called TLS. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, TLS stands for Transport Layer Security. They both do the same thing, but nowadays TLS Certificates are the norm since SSL is outmoded. But TLS Certificates are still sold as SSL Certificates. I know, it\u2019s confusing. I\u2019m even a little confused myself. So let\u2019s move on.<\/p>\n Ok, so a TLS Certificate (or SSL Certificate, if you will) enables encryption via HTTPS. HTTPS is actually just HTTP + TLS. How all that works is a lesson for another day (I\u2019m not even sure myself, I\u2019ll have to do some research)[Editor\u2019s Note<\/strong>: Not sure I would have admitted that]. Anyway, the important thing is that any website served over HTTPS is secure. Nobody can intercept the information your computer is sending and misuse it.<\/p>\n That makes HTTPS essential if you want to conduct any kind of business online. If your bank doesn\u2019t use HTTPS\u2014don\u2019t trust it. If the online store you\u2019re shopping at doesn\u2019t use HTTPS\u2014don\u2019t trust it. Even if a website is only asking for your email if it doesn\u2019t use HTTPS\u2014don\u2019t trust it. Heck, I try to make it a point never to even visit sites that don\u2019t use HTTPS. I\u2019m always paying attention for that little \u201cS.\u201d The internet is not going to trick me again. Don\u2019t let it trick you.<\/p>\n And here\u2019s something else to consider too, HTTPS is secure\u2014but not necessarily safe. Criminals can own websites too. Just because a website is served over HTTPS, doesn\u2019t mean you can trust the people behind it. That\u2019s why there\u2019s business validation and OV and EV SSL Certificates. We\u2019ll talk about that more another day though.<\/p>\n There are even other advantages to HTTPS beyond just encryption. Nowadays, websites served over HTTPS are up to 90% faster than ones served over HTTP. You can even go see for yourself by heading over to HTTP vs HTTPS<\/a>. That\u2019s right, HTTPS is faster AND safer. What else can you say that about? Definitely not cars. The faster you go, the more likely you are to die. I\u2019ll be honest with you, I\u2019m terrified to even go over 70. That\u2019s why I drive a Saturn, people give me a pass on my speed because they just assume my car can\u2019t even get to 70. Seriously, that engine isn\u2019t much more than just a couple of hamsters on wheels. 2 HP\u2014Hamster Power. Anyway, what were we talking about? Oh yeah! There\u2019s a lot of bad people on the internet. But HTTPS helps keep them from stealing our personal information or intercepting our communication with the websites we visit.<\/p>\n HTTP served its purpose. Just like MySpace. It was created at the beginning of the internet era and has allowed a lot of great things to be built on the worldwide web. Unfortunately, it\u2019s also allowed a lot of bad things to happen to good people. You just can\u2019t trust websites served over HTTP nowadays, just like you can\u2019t trust anyone who still uses MySpace. It\u2019s not safe.<\/p>\n Fortunately, there\u2019s HTTPS, which uses encryption to keep our communication safe. HTTPS is the only way you can be sure that whatever information you\u2019re sending to the website you\u2019re visiting can\u2019t be intercepted and read by others.<\/p>\n The difference is all in the \u201cS.\u201d It may seem like a tiny detail, one that\u2019s easy to miss, but it\u2019s the difference between safely navigating the internet and having your social security number plastered across the web. Don\u2019t let your social security number get plastered across the web. Look for the \u201cS.\u201d<\/p>\n Stay cautious, my friends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HTTPS \u2013 The S is for Super [Editor\u2019s Note: Nope]<\/h2>\n
In Closing<\/h2>\n