All You Need to Know About HTTPS

Published on: 2023 November 5

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13 min read

No matter what kinds of information firms are communicating or storing, website security is critical. Authentication and encryption settings can make the difference between giving consumers a safe website and perhaps exposing private information. Secure data transmission from a web browser to a website is mostly accomplished using HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure.

Here are some common inquiries concerning HTTPS, along with their responses.

Read this article, "All You Need to Know About HTTPS," for a thorough explanation of HTTPS and how it safeguards users and web services. In this post, we'll take a close look at HTTPS and its operation, as well as provide advice on how to ensure that your website survives any technical difficulties that may arise while switching between protocols. Below is a brief summary of the topics we will discuss:

• What is HTTPS?
• How does HTTPS work?
• Why is HTTPS important?
• What Are the Benefits of Using HTTPS?
• What port does HTTPS use?
• What Data Does HTTPS Encrypt and Protect?
• What Types of Data Are Not Secured by HTTPS Encryption?
• What Sets HTTPS Apart from HTTP?
• How Can a Website Transition to HTTPS?
• How Can Users Verify Website Owners through HTTPS?
• How Can HTTPS Prevent Cyberattacks?
• Can HTTPS Protect Against DNS Spoofing?
• How Does HTTPS Differ from VPNs in Ensuring Security?
• How Does HSTS Further Strengthen Web Security?

What is HTTPS?

The secure variant of HTTP, known as hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS), is the main protocol used to convey data between a web browser and a website. HTTPS is a network protocol that protects data transfer and communication between a website and a user's web browser. To improve data transfer security, HTTPS is encrypted. This is especially crucial when customers send sensitive information, including when they enter an email service, bank account, or health insurance company.

HTTPS should be used on all websites, especially those that demand login information. Modern web browsers, like Chrome, distinguish between websites that employ HTTPS and those that don't. If you want to know whether a website is secure, look for a padlock in the URL bar. Web browsers take HTTPS seriously; Google Chrome and other browsers mark all non-HTTPS websites as insecure.

The HTTPS protocol protects users from man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks and eavesdroppers. Additionally, it guards against DNS spoofing attacks on valid domains.

How does HTTPS work?

The purpose of HTTPS is to safeguard data transmitted over the internet. This is achieved by encrypting any data being passed from a user to a website using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS), security layers that are added to the original Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). This encryption protocol is used by HTTPS to encrypt messages. This protocol uses an asymmetric public key infrastructure to secure communications. This kind of security mechanism encrypts communications between two parties using two separate keys:

• private key: This key is kept private, as the reader may have surmised, and is under the control of the website owner. This key is used to decrypt data that has been encrypted using the public key and is kept on a web server.
• public key: Anyone who wishes to communicate with the server in a secure manner can obtain this key. Only the private key has the ability to decrypt data that has been encrypted using the public key. This is how the entire HTTPS procedure operates:

1. "Hello" messages are exchanged between the web server and the client browser.
2. Each party lets the other know what their encryption standards are.
3. The browser and the server share the same certificate.
4. The customer checks the certificate's validity.
5. By using the public key, the client creates the pre-master secret key.
6. The public key is used to encrypt this private key, which is then shared with the server.
7. Based on the secret key's value, the client and server calculate the symmetric key.
8. Both parties attest to having calculated the secret key.
9. Symmetric encryption is used during data transfer.

Let's say a consumer goes to an online merchant to make a purchase. The product's order page is displayed to the customer when they are prepared to place an order. This page's URL begins with https:// rather than http://.

The consumer is required to provide financial information (such as a credit card number) and certain personal information (such as a name and shipping address) in order to complete the order. HTTPS encrypts this data to prevent unauthorized individuals, such as hackers or cybercriminals, from accessing or stealing it.

After that, the order is processed on the server. The user receives an encrypted acknowledgment from the server after placing a successful order, which appears in their web browser. By using the HTTPS sublayer, the browser decrypts this acknowledgment.

Why is HTTPS Important?

All of your websites should always be secured with HTTPS, even if they don't handle critical data. In addition to offering vital data integrity and security for your websites and the private information of your users, HTTPS is necessary for many new browser features, especially those that support progressive web apps.

Additionally, as HTTPS offers the safest method for users to safeguard sensitive data, it is currently the recommended protocol for all online activity.

Not only is HTTPS essential for websites that collect user data, but in addition to data supplied directly by users, unprotected connections allow attackers to follow identification and behavioral patterns.

In addition to data security, HTTP offers site owners enhanced online capabilities and user experience.

By enabling users to verify the domain name against the SSL certificate, HTTPS builds user trust. Users can enter their personal information with confidence because the protocol encrypts all client-server communications with SSL/TLS authentication, making it impossible for attackers to intercept data.

Developing user trust is crucial for internet companies like e-commerce sites. Prospective clients require guarantees regarding the security of their credit card information. Owners of websites without HTTPS are putting not only their clients' privacy in danger but also their own brands. Unsecured connections make it simple for attackers to obtain client information. Due to lost trust, such a breach may discourage customers from doing business with the company in the future.

Web browsers have moved quickly to acknowledge HTTPS as the protocol of choice. For instance, Mozilla Firefox now has "HTTPS-only mode," and Google Chrome flags HTTP webpages. Additionally, Google's search engine algorithm penalizes HTTP websites in favor of HTTPS ones. Therefore, by moving to HTTPS, site owners can enhance their SEO.

With the advent of HTTP/2 in 2015, browsers began to give more weight to HTTPS than HTTP. HTTP/2 offers several new capabilities that make web browsing faster and enhance the user experience. These days, the majority of browsers only support HTTP/2 on HTTPS-enabled websites. If HTTP site owners wish to benefit from these features, they must migrate as a result of this update.

HTTPS keeps data from being broadcast on websites in a way that makes it easy for someone eavesdropping on the network to access it. Information transferred over standard HTTP is divided into data packets that can be easily "sniffed" with the help of free software. This increases the likelihood of communication over insecure networks, like open Wi-Fi, being intercepted. In actuality, all HTTP communications take place in plain text, which leaves them extremely open to on-path assaults and widely accessible to anyone with the right tools.

When using HTTPS, traffic is encrypted so that packets will appear as random characters even if they are sniffed or otherwise intercepted.

What Are the Benefits of Using HTTPS?

There are several reasons to use HTTPS on your website and to demand HTTPS from users when they browse, purchase, and utilize the internet. HTTPS has the following benefits to offer:

• Secretarialization: Because the visitor's connection is encrypted, cookies, URLs, and other private information are hidden.
• User and data security: HTTPS creates secure connections and stops web browsers and web servers from listening in on one another. As a result, it guards sensitive data from hackers and preserves user privacy. For transactions involving financial or personal data, this is essential.
• Data Accuracy: By encrypting the data, HTTPS maintains data integrity by preventing hackers from reading or changing it, even if they are able to capture it.
• Enhanced experience for users: Customers gain confidence and trust when they are aware that a website is reliable and secures their personal information.
• Quicker Operation: By encrypting and minimizing the amount of data, HTTPS speeds up data transport faster than HTTP.
• Optimization for search engines (SEO): HTTPS websites typically have a higher search engine ranking, which is a big benefit for businesses trying to increase their online visibility through SEO. If user data is gathered over HTTP, Google Chrome displays the Not Secure badge in the browser.
• Honesty: There has been no tampering or modification of the data transmitted between the website and its visitors.
• Future: By making the internet safe for consumers and website owners, HTTPS reflects the web's future.
• Originality: Instead of communicating with a person-in-the-middle or an impostor, the visitor is interacting with the "genuine" website.

What port does HTTPS use?

HTTPS uses port number 443 by default. A communication endpoint from which data transfers are sent or received is identified by a port number. There are numerous ports available for a variety of uses, and each port has a specific set of numbers that identify it.

As per Google's data, at the end of January 2022, encrypted traffic on the search engine reached 95%. Furthermore, Google Chrome uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) connections for 98% of the loading of web pages.

Your web browser uses particular network ports, such as 443 or 8443, to establish a connection with a website hosting server when you visit a website. These ports are designated for secure HTTPS connections, which encrypt data using a Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate.

In order for HTTPS port 443 to function, network communication packets must first be secured. It employs an SSL/TLS certificate to encrypt the original text into an algorithm on a dedicated port for online browsing, converting it to ciphertext before transmitting it to the server. This stops data sent over the protocol from being intercepted and uninvitedly eavesdropped upon.

The Apache Tomcat web server uses port 8443, which is both a primary protocol and an alternate HTTPS port, to open the SSL text service.

What Data Does HTTPS Encrypt and Protect?

HTTPS encrypts data in order to improve security for sensitive data, such as bank account and password information, while HTTP transports unencrypted data.

HTTPS secures data while it is in transit. Almost all data transmitted between a client and a web service is encrypted thanks to HTTPS. In particular, HTTPS guards against these weaknesses by encrypting all communication between a web browser and a web server. Because of this, HTTPS guarantees that no one may interfere with these interactions, protecting user privacy and avoiding the loss of important data.

The purpose of HTTPS over SSL/TLS is to offer encryption while in transit. Data packets in transit cannot be altered or read even if they are intercepted since communication between a browser and a website server (with a secure certificate) is encrypted.

HTTPS is unable to secure your data once it has reached its destination and is on the website's server. HTTPS guarantees the secure transmission of our data while it is in transit, but it is not in charge of ensuring its safe preservation.

What Types of Data Are Not Secured by HTTPS Encryption?

IP addresses and destination domain names are not encrypted over HTTPS. Important information may be indirectly disclosed by the encrypted traffic, such as the amount of time spent on a certain website or "the size of requested resources or submitted information".

Phishing fraudsters can register domain names that are strikingly similar to the domains they are trying to spoof, or they can mimic the lock icon that indicates a website is secure. In either case, you can overlook the small "s" that is absent from the URL bar.

By using HTTPS, you can verify if a client is "talking" to the person they believe they are and "hiding" the conversation's content. HTTPS does not, however, conceal the following information:

• How many times does a conversation take place?
• Those with whom one communicates via websites; examples include Facebook, Gmail, etc.
• How frequently do you communicate?
• The capacity to calculate the message size that was transmitted
• The server port of destination
• The client's and server's IP address
• Where you are (USA, Turkey, etc.)

What Sets HTTPS Apart from HTTP?

The fundamental function of both HTTP and HTTPS is data transfer across the internet. Web pages that are sent to the client's computer upon user access are stored on servers. A network called the World Wide Web (www) is created by this communication between servers and clients.

While HTTP provides the advantage of retrieving requested data from web servers, it lacks security. It is nothing more than a delivery mechanism that exposes all data to potential hackers.

HTTPS is just HTTP with verification and encryption added. The use of TLS (SSL) by HTTPS to encrypt and digitally sign standard HTTP requests and answers is the only distinction between the two protocols. Thus, compared to HTTP, HTTPS is significantly more secure. For websites that transmit sensitive data, such as credit card numbers or billing addresses, HTTPS security is crucial. An HTTP website's URL begins with http://, whereas an HTTPS website's URL begins with https://. The following is a list of the characteristics that set HTTPS apart from HTTP:

• Digitization: Due to its initial design as a clear text protocol, HTTP is susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks and eavesdropping. By utilizing SSL/TLS encryption, HTTPS protects against third parties intercepting and reading data sent over the internet. By using public-key cryptography and the SSL/TLS handshake, two parties (such as a web server and a browser) that have never met in person can safely establish an encrypted communication session by creating a shared secret key.

• Verification: In contrast to HTTP, HTTPS uses the SSL/TLS protocol for strong authentication. A web browser can use the public key present in an SSL/TLS certificate for a website to confirm that the private key holder has digitally signed any documents (such as HTML pages) sent by the server. The browser will assume that any identifying information included in the certificate has been verified by a reliable third party if the server's certificate has been signed by a publicly trustworthy certificate authority (CA), like SSL.com.

  Additionally, mutual authentication, in which a web browser displays a client certificate identifying the user, can be set up on HTTPS websites. Mutual authentication lowers the danger of phishing and other assaults involving credential theft and is helpful in scenarios like remote employment, where multi-factor authentication is desirable.

• Honesty: Every document (such as a JavaScript file, picture, or web page) that an HTTPS web server sends to a web browser has a digital signature that the browser can use to verify that the document hasn't been tampered with or corrupted in any way while it was in transit. In order for the browser to independently verify that the document's integrity is intact, the server computes a cryptographic hash of the document's contents along with its digital certificate.

HTTP	HTTPS
Sir Timothy John was the inventor of this protocol.	Netscape Corporation developed this protocol specifically for its Navigator web browser.
By default, the HTTP URL begins with HTTP:// and uses port 80.	By default, the HTTPS URL begins with https:// and utilizes port 443.
HTTP lacks security measures and is vulnerable to surveillance and man-in-the-middle attacks, both of which can compromise data integrity and compromise sensitive information for malicious actors.	HTTPS is secured and encrypted. It possesses the capacity to withstand such assaults while ensuring security, privacy, and authentication.
Information is not encrypted/	Encrypts data as required.
No SSL certificate is utilized for communication.	SSL certificates are utilized for communication.
It fulfills the requirement for information exchange via the internet.	It tackles the issue of transmitting sensitive data over an unsecured internet connection.
Applicable to websites that facilitate information consumption, including blogs, forums, educational sites, entertainment platforms, and articles.	Websites that gather private and sensitive information, such as financial or other confidential data, should consider implementing this solution. As an illustration, payment gateways and e-commerce websites.
Its simplicity contributes to its superior performance in comparison to HTTPS. As a stateless protocol, no information regarding the previous web session is retained.	Regarding performance, it is comparatively slower than HTTP. This is due to the fact that establishing a secure session requires some time to execute.
Reduce visitor confidence because they perceive a security vulnerability risk and the possibility that sensitive data may be compromised.	Instills confidence in visitors by assuring them that their sensitive data, including credentials, browsing history, and account information, is safeguarded against potential exposure.
No improvement in search engine ranking.	Enhanced in search engine results. Google initiated the implementation of HTTPS as a ranking signal in 2014.
Avoids storing the referrer information.	Referral traffic appears exclusively as direct traffic.Referrer data preservation. As a result, Google Analytics becomes more efficient, which is a significant benefit for SEO.
HTTP is incompatible with AMP (accelerated mobile pages).	HTTPS enables the utilization of AMP. HTTPS is an absolute requirement in order to utilize Google AMP.

Table 1. HTTP vs HTTPS

When combined, these assurances of integrity, authentication, and encryption make HTTPS a far safer protocol than HTTP for online surfing and business transactions.

How Can a Website Transition to HTTPS?

The industry standard for websites that want to protect user data is HTTPS. To properly migrate your website to HTTPS, follow the steps listed below in the correct order:

1. Make a website backup: Before making any modifications to your website, make a complete backup of it. Verify the backup alternatives available if you are utilizing a shared hosting platform. Alternatively, if you host on a platform like cPanel, a backup capability might be integrated right in.

2. Purchase and set up the SSL license: An SSL certificate that confirms the legitimacy of a website enables encrypted communication between the web server and the browser. The best option for small enterprises on a tight budget is entry-level or domain SSLs, which are easy to set up. While SSLs could take a few days to verify, once they are in place, they display the corporate name and domain right in the browser bar. By doing a thorough investigation of the company, Extended Validation (EV) SSLs enable you to display a green browser bar on your website, signifying that it is completely secure and confirmed.

   Select the appropriate SSL certificate for your unique needs before migrating. There are three different kinds of SSL certificates. These are:

   • You can request a domain validation certificate in a matter of minutes. All that's needed is email validation.
   • The processing of a business validation certificate takes one to three days. It needs company authentication and offers a decent level of security.
   • The Extended Validation Certificate is the one that displays the firm name in a green address bar. It is the most expensive one, given its highest level of security. This SSL takes two to seven days to provide and requires business verification.

   Install the certificate after you've got it. Depending on the server you are using, different setups may be required. Make sure everything is in order by running the certificate through the SSL testing tools after installation.

3. Convert hard-coded, external, and internal URLs to HTTPS: Verify that all of your website's links have been converted from HTTP to HTTPS. You can do this by hand if you only have a few pages. However, if your website is considerably bigger, you may look into automated solutions. List all the URLs that need to be changed to the proper HTTPS link by marketing automation, social media accounts, or email ads. The SEO of your website could be negatively impacted by links that still point to the HTTP version of the site and are out of date.

4. Modify proprietary or outside programs: Make sure to change all of the scripts on your website that you have added, such as third-party scripts or JS or AJAX libraries, to HTTPS. If you don't, Chrome will show your URL with a content warning (seen as a yellow triangle on the padlock).

5. Implement 301 reroutes: 301 redirects provide the rerouted page with 90-99% of its ranking power. They seamlessly transition your website to HTTPS while maintaining its SEO integrity. You'll be able to keep your search engine rating by doing this.

6. Update the CDN's HTTP/2 capability, origin URL, and SSL certificate: This step is only required if your website is hosted on a content delivery network (CDN). A content delivery network (CDN) keeps duplicates of all your web pages on global servers and uses the server that is nearest to the user to deliver requested pages. Request that the CDN provider update the SSL on your site to reflect the latest HTTPS version if it utilizes one.

7. Establish a profile on "Google Search Console": When the new HTTPS is ready for use, create a new profile in the Google Search Console. Remember to upload your updated disavow file to the profile. After any significant improvements, allow Google to crawl and gather content. You can still request a Google crawl, even if some of the sites are not immediately linked to your homepage. But to do that, you have to individually enter the URLs for those pages.

8. Refresh your Google Analytics profile: You will need to adjust your HTTPS site's Analytics and Search Console in your Google account. All you have to do is switch the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) default for Google Analytics to HTTPS.

9. Pay close attention to upgrades and adjustments: It's not over yet. Due to the intricate nature of the migration process, there is a significant chance that some crucial details will be overlooked. As a result, repeat the procedure and mark the updates you have already delivered with checks. When finished, pay special attention to the website's performance. To obtain a clear image, monitor analytics, look at the quantity of successful direct, and examine traffic trends and habits. Should there be a noticeable shift in performance, there might be an issue.

How Can Users Verify Website Owners Through HTTPS?

A handshake, or exchange of TLS/SSL certificates, is carried out between a web server and a web browser when they communicate via HTTPS in order to authenticate the provider and safeguard the user and their data. HTTPS is an HTTP variation that encrypts conversations over HTTP using TLS/SSL.

A closed padlock icon appears to the left of the URL in the browser's address bar to indicate that a website is safe, according to the majority of web browsers. Users can verify whether the digital certificate of an HTTPS-enabled website contains identifying information about the website owner, such as their name or business name, by clicking on the padlock icon in certain browsers.

To examine further certificate details, including a confirmation message, the certificate issuer, and its expiration date, click the padlock.

Users can click the lock icon in contemporary browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari to check whether the digital certificate of an HTTPS website contains personal information about its owner.

Additionally, the majority of popular browsers, including Google Chrome, will caution users with a warning screen or pop-up message as soon as they reach an HTTP page. Utilizing anti-virus software, which frequently includes online security checks, is another way to determine whether a website is safe.

How Can HTTPS Prevent Cyber Attacks?

HTTPS is quickly taking over as the preferred protocol for secure online browsing. As of October 2019, more than 90% of all pages loaded in Chrome use HTTPS.

Regretfully, hackers are now developing assaults that use SSL to go around corporate security measures and sneak into networks. Hackers now use HTTPS encryption to cover their tracks and prevent detection by firewalls, sandboxing technologies, and behavior analytics tools. This is a simple and covert method of infecting the network with malware without raising any red flags.

The well-known attacks that have used such tactics, such as the CryptoWall ransomware, show that once-effective defensive strategies are no longer doing their jobs. It is not always possible for modern sandboxing and behavioral analytics to find and stop HTTPS threats. Because of this, firewalls, anti-malware programs, and intrusion detection systems will often let HTTPS traffic go through.

These attacks may have disastrous financial repercussions.

The increasing frequency of cyberattacks and data breaches shows that there is simply no room for error when it comes to machine identity management and network security. You should be taking precautions like safeguarding your keys and certificates, monitoring your traffic, and implementing automation to prevent disruptions.

HTTPS encrypts and protects the majority of data passed from a user site. When delivered over an HTTPS connection, the query string parameters, post bodies, and URL path are all encrypted. The increasing frequency of cyber attacks and data breaches shows that there is simply no room for error when it comes to machine identity management and network security. You should be taking precautions like safeguarding your keys and certificates, monitoring your traffic, and implementing automation to prevent disruptions.

Most data passed from a user to a website is encrypted and protected by HTTPS. When delivered over an HTTPS connection, the query string parameters, post bodies, and URL path are all encrypted.

HTTPS is not designed to function as a firewall for the website as a whole, even though it offers a robust layer of security for data traveling to and from websites. With SSL/TLS encryption, it secures the data transmission process itself; nonetheless, you should implement security measures for the remaining data on your website.

Can HTTPS Protect Against DNS Spoofing?

Yes, HTTPS can protect against DNS spoofing. To put it more broadly, DNS spoofing is the practice of covertly sending users to a website that is not the one they are requesting via the Domain Name System (DNS). In actuality, HTTPS can safeguard contact with a domain even if DNSSEC is not supported.

A valid HTTPS certificate proves that the server is the domain owner when a reputable certificate authority confirms it.

Websites can use HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) to tell browsers that their domain always needs an HTTPS connection. This way, an attacker can not use DNS spoofing to send the user to a plain http:// connection, where they can steal their traffic. This implies that in order to properly spoof DNS resolution, an attacker has to establish a working HTTPS connection. Because of this, DNS spoofing is just as difficult and costly as targeting HTTPS in general.

Users will notice a noticeable warning banner from their browser that will stop them from visiting the potentially harmful website if the attacker spoofs DNS but does not compromise HTTPS. The visitor won't have the choice to ignore or click through the warning if the website employs HSTS. Together, HTTPS and HSTS guard a domain from DNS spoofing.

In conclusion, HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) allows you to make a browser display your website by default. A hacker may attempt to create a false version of your website because it is secured by an SSL/TLS certificate, but users will be notified of the security breach right away. Putting up HSTS and using HTTPS together is one of the greatest defenses against DNS spoofing.

How Does HTTPS Differ from VPNs in Ensuring Security?

Both HTTPS and a VPN encrypt data; the only distinction between the two is the amount of data that is encrypted. A VPN encrypts all data before it even leaves your device, including data on apps and websites that don't have HTTPS protection. HTTPS only encrypts data that passes between a browser and a website.

HTTPS is a technology that secures communications over the Web, while VPNs are third-party programs that safeguard privacy on the Internet. HTTPS can be used without a VPN, and vice versa; however, you can use both simultaneously for various purposes. To safely purchase a service that is prohibited in your country, you can use a remote VPN server to visit an HTTPS website. That brings an end to our thorough VPN versus HTTPS research, showcasing the wonders of contemporary technology.

The key distinctions between VPN and HTTPS are listed below:

• While HTTPS merely secures the connection between your browser and the website's server, VPN encrypts all communications for your complete device.
• While HTTPS encrypts critical data you enter on websites, a VPN conceals your identity and surfing behavior from ISPs, monitoring services, and hackers.
• Unlike VPNs, you cannot directly control HTTPS because the website owner controls the SSL certificate.
• VPNs and HTTPS won't shield your device from malware. Use caution and common sense when accessing dubious websites or services.

VPN	HTTPS
All traffic is encrypted	Secures browser communication
Employs more advanced encryption	Employs encryption
Withstands attacks using root certificates	Maybe susceptible to attacks using root certificates
It allows you to select a new location, modify your IP address, and more.

Table 2. VPN vs HTTPS

VPNs are currently very popular and are assisting many individuals in regaining control over their online privacy and feeling secure. Since HTTPS and VPNs are compatible, we advise combining the two. When you venture online it's a terrific security team to have on your side.

How Does HSTS Further Strengthen Web Security?

You've definitely heard of additional security measures like HTTPS because search engines and site users take website security seriously.

However, HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), a lesser-known security layer, is accessible and can aid in safeguarding both your website and search engine optimization (SEO).

A response header called HSTS lets the browser know that it can only establish an HTTPS connection to a specific website. HTTPS webpages are faster and more secure, thanks to HSTS.

The fact that HTTPS isn't totally impenetrable to hackers is one of its shortcomings. This exposes your website to SSL stripping. When a hacker switches from an encrypted connection to a previous version, this happens.

If a website depends on 301 redirects to go from HTTP to HTTPS, this frequently happens. Typically, the 301 redirect takes place as follows:

• Examplesite.com is entered by someone into their browser.
• The first attempt by the browser to load https://examplesite.com is caused by the 301 redirect used by examplesite.com. This occurs as a result of the browser's inability to detect in advance if a certain website is using HTTPS.
• The browser then has the authority to load https://examplesite.com when it comes across the redirect and receives instructions to the contrary.

Although this may not seem like a major thing, you should be concerned about the few milliseconds that separate them since they expose your website to hackers trying to decrypt your SSL certificate.

Hackers can sneak in and intercept the request over insecure HTTP when the server first calls the HTTP version, preventing the website from utilizing HTTPS. It seems logical that more hackers are learning how to bypass the latest security codes as more websites move to HTTPS.

There is a fix for this: use HSTS to further safeguard your website.

When a website tries to load over HTTPS, as in the case of 301 redirects, HSTS ignores the request to attempt an HTTP connection first. This just makes the browser remember that this website does, in fact, support HTTPS, avoiding the initial HTTP load. In this manner, the browser will load the secure version right away, removing the chance that hackers could take over the connection.