5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Trust Sites Without an HTTPS

Malware is a type of software that’s designed to damage or disable computers and computer systems. If you visit a website that’s infected with malware, there’s a chance that the malware could infect your computer as well—and once your computer is infected, it can be complicated to remove the malware. To protect yourself from malware, only visit websites that have an HTTPS connection.

Your Information Could Be Sold to Third-Party Companies

Some companies sell the information they collect from their users to third-party companies without the users’ knowledge or consent. If you enter your information on a website without an HTTPS connection, there’s no way to know whether or not the company will sell your information. However, suppose the site has an HTTPS connection. In that case, it means that the company is using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption—and companies that use SSL encryption are much less likely to sell users’ information to third-party companies.

You Could Be Redirected to a Malicious Website

Have you ever been typing in a web address only to be suddenly redirected to another website? This can happen if you visit a website without an HTTPS connection—the site might contain malicious code that will automatically redirect you to another site without your knowledge or consent. And once you’ve been redirected to the malicious site, getting back to the original site can be tricky. Always check for the HTTPS connection before entering any information to protect yourself from being redirected to a malicious site.

Conclusion

These days, it’s more important than ever to be cautious about where you enter your personal information online—and one of the best ways to protect yourself is by only trusting websites with an HTTPS connection. So next time you’re about ready to enter your information on a website, take a moment to check for the little green lock in your browser’s address bar. If you don’t see it, chances are good that the site isn’t secure, and you shouldn’t trust it with your personal information.