HTTP versus HTTPS: it's written clearly on the wall

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is a medium to transfer data over the web. It consists of various commands and the services that are necessary to transmit to a web page data. HTTPS, on the other hand, stands for hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. It can be encapsulated as the secured version of the HTTP - So much so of these wobbly looking abbreviations and their meaning - here’s to Http vs Https.

Now is the question of why to get this topic on the forefront? It is because, as the definition itself speaks that the HTTPS (apart from the fact that it has an ‘S’ to it giving it more weight age!), the issue of security and safety of data is of huge importance. And, though many users, even the ones using the net for years together now, are not aware of how these two can make a world of a difference to this factor of prima relevance in today’s hacker infested virtual world.

The complete green signal to HTTPS

1. Away from isp and Government eyes: The government, especially as he instances of hacking and scams take a massive toll on the data of much relevance, the HTTPS helps you keep the veil! Since it encrypts data as it transfers it, it is just far too much for any snooper to get a smell of it.
2. Avoids any Spoofing activities: With surveillance in all aspects, the spoofing is a very common happening now. And more often than not, it proves detrimental invariably. With HTTPS, one is ensured that only after a proper and thorough checking of the various websites are they given an access to the data of these websites. Nd the process can be quite tedious, so much so for being malicious!
3. Discretion as far as DNS is concerned: The Domain Name System or the DNS is all around the virtual stretch. Any web or internet user uses it without ever knowing even its name, let alone its presence. What harm a DNS does is through typo squatting, that is, a process of registering a domain name that can be misled into believing to be some other one of a similar or even a same name. It is almost a social practice for data in the offices and their corporate. The usage of https minimizes this risk to almost a zilch.
4. Security for its users: As the very definition speaks, the HTTPS is the ‘Secured’ version. So, someone browsing can feel all a safe and easy browsing without the fear of being tracked or without the data having an access to the many others. In fact, if the web world would adopt the HTTPS version in a larger manner, the web would be a much safer place, sustaining the privacy of every browser. There was a time when Face book would serve their page on the HTTPS. The usage of HTTPS would definitely reduce the cyber crime numbers.

What are the obstructions for HTTPS?

There are matters that have to be dealt with and everything is not so simple although the HTTPS usage is the way to go. Some of them being:

1. The Number of Certifications Authorities: It one accessed the HTTPS://companyx.com, the web server would issue a SSL certificate that the browser has to check to make sure that that certificate was issued by a genuine authority. But, someone can trick into providing a farce certificate for your domain too.
2. The Trustworthiness of the Certificate Authorities: In 2011, it was discovered that several so called legitimate certificate authorities issued SSL certificates to the local IP addresses! This was a shocking revelation and big drawback for the HTTPS to come into full action.
3. Certificate authority’s discretion could be compromised: the SSL certificates are awarded to many a websites every year. This could get the bad arc light on these authorities and the serious concern about the standards that they are following.