WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get. This is a journal blog, an explore-blog, a bit of this and that blog. Sharing where the mood takes me. Perhaps it will take you too.

Menoducayshunul - geek peek

A while back, you may recall, there was a move which transferred Blogger URLs onto the HTTPS protocol. Those who had custom domain URL had to wait a little longer, but do now have the option for HTTPS.

image; YouTube screenshot
Why bother? READ THIS. In short, using HTTPS has three main benefits:
  • Authentication
  • Data integrity
  • Secrecy
Now, you may think you have clicked the switch in your settings to make your blog HTTPS... however, you may also recall that there was talk of 'mixed content' when it was all getting rolled out. No? Well, to keep it as simple as can be, it boils down to whether you use non-Google plugins in your side-bar, or place non-Blogger templates and backgrounds (for example, Hot Bliggity Blog and others like that). If the plugins you opt for do not come from HTTPS-protected sites or contain the appropriate security coding, using them on your site will degrade your own security standing.

Here's a question... how many of you make a habit of checking the address line (URL) of the sites you are visiting? Now, how many of you check your own addresses? I was a little surprised to find that my photo blog was showing as 'not secure', but then remembered that I had used a 'foreign skin' when I last redecorated. Removing that sorted out the problem. Go on. click on your own blog/s and check...


Why should you care? Well, even if you are not bothered about the security of the data of the visitors of your site, you must surely be concerned whether you are open to attack from hackers and spammers yourself? Not the comment spam which appears from time to time (and remember, the best practice is not to simply delete, but to mark these as spam in both your comments listings on the dashboard sidebar and in your email alerts - Google does follow up on all notifications of spam). Blogs, in general, are not high on the list of hackers, but it does happen from time to time and it is happening where HTTPS has not been adopted or where mixed content is a big problem.

image; OpenClipArt
A third thing to consider here is whether you have the latest updates of your browser and/or any plugins you use. Good computer hygiene is not just doing the anti-viral runs but also checking weekly for coding updates. Even if you have auto-update on. I recently discovered a new version of Chrome which I thought would have auto-updated but had not.

Right. You've checked and discovered that your site is insecure. What are you using that has caused this to happen? Blog 'dressups'? Widgets that are not from Blogger itself? These are the two commonest culprits. Quite simply, you need to remove them and find HTTPS compliant options. Other problem sources could be video plugins, images from insecure galleries or HTML coding which has missed something...okay, I know most of you are not doing your own coding, but it behooves me to mention all possibilities. (For the true geeks among you, this page is worth a read!)

BOTTOM LINE; for fullest available security, ensure you do not have mixed content and that you have taken the option to switch to HTTPS. This is not just good for you, it is courtesy to your visitors.

Feel free to spread the word by linking back to this post; many of you I visit show up as 'insecure' and, whilst it will not stop me visiting, it does tickle this geek's slightly OCD not-so-funny bone! Not everyone I visit reads this blog though - so spreading the word would be a good thing. Think of it as a neighbourhood watch for Blogville!!!



7 comments:

  1. mine is safe, and I do check when I go to others. my Norton warns me when it is not secure but it does matter which browser I am using. edge doesn't like Norton

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    Replies
    1. Hari Om
      oh yes, I gave up on Norton because it became way too restrictive and slowed my system down now end. I combine two free packages now and all is tickety-boo. The insecure nature on most blogs is not a major problem for us visiting, but when it is easy to make things solid, why not do it I say! Yxx

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  2. I do check about 90% of the time especially if it is a new site.
    What a wealth of info you have shared and I thank you
    Hugs HiC

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  3. I have noticed lately that a lot of blogs are "not secure", and now that I checked, mine says the same thing. No clue what is causing it, but I guess it is time to hunt and find. Thanks for the info.

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    Replies
    1. Hari Om
      ... yeah it is not always obvious what is causing the trub... I do note that at the bottom of your sidebar there is a link which is no longer valid, so I'd start by removing that. Your background image is gorgeous, but did it come from your own files or a Google source, or is it from a 'foreign' source? (I think you use Zoolatry, so that should be okay, but worth thinking about.) The only other thing that immediately comes to mind from my view is the possibility that your video clips might bother the system; do you upload to YouTube first - I don't recall now. These are things I would suggest looking at first and one at a time to see what happens! It really isn't end-of-world stuff for most of us; however, if there are email links left or blog links, then it can leave people open to being tracked... Yxx

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  4. A useful addition to the many courses on cyber security which we are asked to complete at work these days.
    Thanks! Gail.

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  5. a lot of sites missed to jump to the "s"... and we take a deep breath always when it says "not secure" and the crap-top acts up...

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