What are secure and non-secure websites?

A secure Website uses the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol to securely transmit information on the Internet. Essentially, SSL creates a secure channel of communication between your computer and the Website's server. Web browsers are implemented with SSL so you can visit secure Websites.

What this all means to you is that you can perform safe and secure transactions on the Internet, such as online banking or purchasing an item with your credit card, because SSL encrypts the data before sending it over the Internet.

The SSL setting in your Web browsers is turned on by default. This means that no intervention on your part is needed.

The easiest way to identify whether you're on a secure site is by the Web address in the URL (Uniform Resource Locator). If the Web address begins with https://, then you're in a secure site. If the address begins with http:// (without the "s"), then you are in a non-secure Website. Also, your browser displays a padlock icon to indicate you are in a secure site. Usually, this icon is displayed near the bottom on the right side.

An example of a secure site is WSU's WebMail. Notice that the address in the URL begins with https://, and a small padlock icon indicates that you are at a secure site.

The most important thing to keep in mind is to make sure that you are in a secure site if you plan to perform any transactions that deal with personal or sensitive material.

non-secure or regular web sites (http)-....