HTTPS and Lock Icon Don’t Indicate Safe Content
Our cybersecurity training over the past few years has conditioned us to look for the https:// and Lock symbol on websites that we browse. It is important however to understand what this actually means and what it does not mean.
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is a method of transmitting data across the internet with encryption, and what gives the ‘s’ for “secure” in https. It protects the integrity of data in transit. It does NOT provide any assurance that the data being transmitted is safe to download or interact with.
Make sure that your team understands that https:// and the lock symbol indicate ONLY that the data being transmitted is safe from being intercepted. They do not indicate that you are on a safe website that is free from links or downloads that contain malware.
The following article released by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov) sheds more light on this topic.
https://www.ic3.gov/media/2019/190610.aspx
Peter Casey Wall
Director of Technology and Compliance, Foundation Title, LLC