1. Overview
In this digital world, we access several websites on a regular basis.
And, we also provide our personal and credit card information on some of them to get things done.
Did we ever check if the website has taken enough security measures to safeguard our data?
In this article, let's try to understand what HTTP and HTTPS are and the importance of HTTPS for data security.
2. Content
2.1. What is HTTP?
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HTTP acts as an application layer protocol, over which the data is exchanged between a Web Browser and a Web Server in the form of plain text.
As the data is not encrypted and in simple text form, it becomes easy for others to intercept the communication.
If someone intercepts the connection, they get access to all that is exchanged, which may even include
- sensitive data like name, address, phone, email, credit card information, etc.,
Also, HTTP data exchange will also take time, as the non-encrypted data has to be filtered, cached, and scanned before it is transferred or received, which obviously makes the communication slow.
2.2. What is HTTPS?
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, and the name itself states that it's a secure protocol.
Instead of acting as an application layer protocol, it used separate protocols called SSL and TLS for data exchange
- SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer
- TLS stands for Transport Layer Security
Data is encrypted due to these protocols, and the data exchanged between Web Browser and Web Server is secured.
As the communication is secured, the data is simply tunneled directly to the user making it fast compared to HTTP.
2.3. Can we assume that a website accessed using HTTPS protocol is 100% secure?
No - Not at all
HTTPS encrypts only the in-browser-based Internet activity, but all non-browser-based Internet activities like API calls still be intercepted and breached, which need to be secured separately.
3. Conclusion
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