Before you share any information online, it’s important to tướng make sure your communication with the trang web is secure. Fortunately, there are two quick checks to tướng help you be certain:
- Look at the uniform resource locator (URL) of the trang web. A secure URL should begin with “https” rather than vãn “http.” The “s” in “https” stands for secure, which indicates that the site is using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate. This lets you know that all your communication and data is encrypted as it passes from your browser to tướng the website’s server.
- Look for a lock icon near your browser’s location field. The lock symbol and related URL containing “https” simply mean that the connection between your trang web browser and the trang web server is encrypted, which is important. It prevents others from eavesdropping or intercepting your communication between your browser and the website’s server. But don’t be fooled into thinking the trang web you’re going to tướng is secure—it may not be.
Remember to tướng look for “https” and the lock icon. If you don’t see those two indicators, your communication to tướng the trang web is not secure. For more security tips, visit the UW–Madison Office of Cybersecurity trang web.
Is it secure and legit?
While making sure the sites you visit are secure is important, you should also always be sure that a site is legitimate before entering a username, password or any other personal information. Paying close attention to tướng the site’s URL in your browser’s location field, for example, can help you be certain that you’re on a legitimate site rather than vãn a look-alike impostor.