Surfing online always has its risks, so it’s comforting to know that there are apps that will try to keep you safe as you navigate through the Web. Mozilla has integrated a new security feature in its latest version of Firefox. Called HTTPS-Only Mode, the said feature will “make sure you’re always establishing secure connections to every website that you visit.”
When the new HTTPS-Only Mode is switched on, the browser will automatically connect to the HTTPS version of a page, even if you manually type HTTP in the address bar or click on a legacy HTTP link from search results. Further, Firefox will ask for your permission to load websites that aren’t encrypted via HTTPS in any way.
The browser will Firefox will display an error message that explains the security risks of connecting to a non-HTTPS website before you can click through to load it. In case a page has certain HTTP elements such as images that refuse to load in HTTPS-Only Mode, though, you can temporarily disable the feature by clicking on the lock icon next to the URL in the address bar. To switch the feature on for the first time, you’ll have to go to “Privacy & Security” in Preferences and choose “Enable HTTPS-Only Mode in all windows.”
Good to know!
(Image Credit: Mozilla/ Engadget)