We almost never look at the URL of the page we are going to access, but if you look, before the address of the page, you will find the type of protocol it uses to visit that website. Both HTTP and HTTPS are the protocols that you will find when browsing the Internet[1], but which is more secure? What’s the difference between one and other?
Security protocols
First of all, you should know that there are several types of protocols, and that they have evolved over the years, offering us better performance and more robust security when browsing the Internet.
SSL is Secure Sockets Layer or, what is the same in Spanish, secure sockets layer. It was one of the first security protocols used to establish secure connections on the Internet. As its name indicates, its function is to maintain the security of an Internet connection. It is a protocol that allows information that travels from one point to another to do so securely and privately without anyone being able to access or modify it. That is, when you enter your information in an online store to pay, there is no intermediary who can steal your banking information or password. SSL is a classic protocol that has been in operation since the 1990s and has had several versions available and all with the same purpose. But today[2] SSL It is an obsolete protocol which has been replaced by TLS and whose mission is exactly the same: protect our data on the Internet.
TLS It is a protocol that comes as a substitute for the previous one, which seeks to ensure that connections are reliable. Means Transport Layer Security or transport layer security. Version 1.3 is currently available and offers security and privacy in connections, it is responsible for protecting data and preventing it from being intercepted when we enter it on a website, in a form. Compared to the previous one, the model changes: SSL is at the session layer of the OSI model, but in the case of TLS it is a protocol located at the transport layer. In addition, the encryption algorithms are improved, making them much more secure.
Both one or the other (especially TLS since SSL is already obsolete, we insist) are necessary on a web page if we want the browser to consider them secure. We need an entity that grants us an SSL or TLS certificate. Professionals or website owners should look for a provider of these certificates so that our website has the necessary security that the users who are going to access it need.
HTTPS to protect you online
What is HTTPS is directly related to the previous answers. As we have explained in previous sections, the two protocols go hand in hand. If a website appears with HTTPS at the beginning (as is common in the vast majority of cases) it will mean that there is an SSL or TLS protocol installed on it. A certificate is required SSL or TLS that allows that final “S”.
HTTPS is Hipertext Transport Protocol Secure and is the evolution of HTTP, the data transfer protocol between server and client over the Internet. With the final S, extra security is added, as its name suggests. One more layer of security between data transfers between servers and clients so that the information that travels on this channel is with encrypted data that cannot be read even if it is intercepted, compared to the plain and unencrypted text used in previous protocols. For our website to work under the HTTPS protocol, it is necessary to have an SSL certificate or a TLS certificate installed, which will be responsible for encrypting the connections as we have explained. Thus adding another layer of security to ensure that the website you are on is safe.
That is why it is essential that when you buy online you do so taking this into account. Although you have always read it and were not clear why, now you know the reason why you will be more protected. But keep in mind that this is not foolproof and your data can be stolen so use common sense and use secure payment methods.