Whats the difference between https:// and http://
By syoti20
@syoti20 (5292)
Philippines
January 13, 2011 9:53pm CST
I was checking my paypal account. When I am already typing the www.paypal.com
I found two address link being provided. One is https:// and the other one is http://
I encountered few months ago that their is an instance in facebook uses wrong link which may lead to hacking. So I am confuse if paypal will be like this.
When I choose http:// is directed me to the https://
Do you encountered this problem too?What did you do?
7 people like this
24 responses
@marcmm (1804)
• Malaysia
14 Jan 11
https is for a secure website. Paypal and Alertpay and even all the online banking site should have the https to ensure nobody can eavesdrop on. Make sure if you make a sucure transaction, the website should start with https. Like if somebody ask you about your credit card information, the site you browse should have https to make sure it is really secure.
the site that start with http only is a nonsecure site like mylot and all other browsing site.
3 people like this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
14 Jan 11
https is an info secured site.
that's actually better than the plain http.
1 person likes this
@tonyllenium (6252)
• Italy
17 Jan 11
this is not a problem but just a security measure!!So http is the normal standard for internet protocol and https is a protected net so more secure!!This is because normally when you share some personal dates you want stay secure and so the https is a more secure protocol!!
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
14 Jan 11
s is for secure site and wherever you deal with money and personal id
transactions you need to see the s so always use the one with the s
as it is secured against hackers. my bank account has it and also my online stores have it too. always be sure to see the s before doing any financial stuff then you are secure.![](/Content/images/emotes/thumbup.gif)
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2 people like this
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
14 Jan 11
Https just means HTTP-secure. That is what the short hand is for. That is really a good thing if something his HTTP-secure, because that means that the website is properly secure. Especially if it is a website like Paypal. To me, that means it is trusted and a website that I would feel safe doing my financial transactions. There is nothing to be worried about.
1 person likes this
@DoverPro (15)
• United States
14 Jan 11
This is not a problem, it is a protection.
http:// means you are on a standard site, and there could be an issue with personal or private information being captured by a possible third party.
The https:// means you are on a secure verified site. When you are on an https:// site you should see a little image of a lock in the lower right hand corner of your browser, telling you it is safe to provide personal of financial information.
If you are ever asked to input personal information or a credit card or PayPal user name and password, and the site is NOT an https://, do NOT do it. You could end up being a victim of Phishing or worse.
@derek_a (10874)
•
14 Jan 11
The https:// is telling you that you are going into secure pages that are incripted so that nobody else can have access to, because it is your private account and only you can access it to put in or take out money. I wouldn't want to be on any other page other than a https:// page when entering my persional deatils.
_Derek
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1 person likes this
@rameshchow (4426)
• India
14 Jan 11
Actually i studied about this hyper texts in the Object oriented programming language and in digital communication also. I already studied in communication systems also. It is very interesting topic. Some special characters are used to transmit the data from source to destination.
1 person likes this
@wollivierre (687)
• United States
14 Jan 11
well its not a problem its done that way for a reason http is normal web sites but https is for sites with logins the s on the https stands for a 2nd more advance level of security sites that don't have this aren't that good to put your information in.
@Strovek (868)
• Malaysia
14 Jan 11
Transmission for http:// is clear text. Anybody who taps into the conversation between your computer and server will be able to see everything.
For https://, you computer will first share a secret (exchange key) and then subsequently, all conversation between the two will be encrypted with the key.
For that to happen, the server also requires a certificate to identify itself. This certificate is typically issued by companies like Verisign. Some of the newer browsers will check the certificate (against the issuers that they know) and verify it against your url. If there is a discrepancy, then it will warn you of it (to reduce chances of phishing).
1 person likes this
@calpro (930)
• India
14 Jan 11
Hi syoti20,
It is not a wrong link it is a secured link, http:// is a secured hyper text transfer protocol that means what ever the user name or number or passwords you enter on that page are transferred through secured page and it cannot be traced by others while transferring.
http:// is not a secured one that is the only difference, generally when there is financial transaction involved like your credit card or debit card and Pay pal they use this secured user interface.
Happy Living
Calpro
@flagella08 (5065)
• Philippines
16 Jan 11
this is the first time knowing this. at first i didn't care whether there's an s in the protocol as long as i can enter in the link. now that i know, i am glad since that would make my finances secure no matter how big or small there is.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
14 Jan 11
This is not a problem! As Marcmm said in the first response, it is for your protection. When doing any financial transaction online you always want to see the https:// and sometimes your browsers will also show a golden padlock. On can never be too careful handling money whether online or in person.
1 person likes this
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
18 Jan 11
I had no idea what the answer to your question was until I read your responses and now I am enlightened! The s is clearly for a secure site whereas the http:// is not...I will share this knowledge with my friends because I am certain it will be something they weren’t aware of!
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
18 Jan 11
The "s" in https means that it is secure. This is used with payment processing websites such as paypal, online banking sites and other websites that you can buy products from. You should also see a lock symbol at the bottom of your page while on a https page.
It is perfectly safe. You should be worried if you are paying anything online and you have a normal http page! Hope this helps you. ![](/Content/images/emotes/thumbup.gif)
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@marcmm (1804)
• Malaysia
14 Jan 11
https is for a secure website. Paypal and Alertpay and even all the online banking site should have the https to ensure nobody can eavesdrop on. Make sure if you make a sucure transaction, the website should start with https. Like if somebody ask you about your credit card information, the site you browse should have https to make sure it is really secure.
the site that start with http only is a nonsecure site like mylot and all other browsing site.
1 person likes this
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