Connections to sites (including ATS) now say insecure

So using Chrome, suddenly today several websites are showing up as not secure. Urls begin with an i with a circle around it, and upon clicking it, Chrome says, "your connection to this site is not secure." I've also noticed that the urls that are automatically offered as auto-fill options as I begin to type in the url bar are now blue instead of black text.

I know ATS is not an https site anyway, but this is still a new behavior for my browser, and as far as I know there wasn't an update for it or anything.

I've run MS Security Essentials, Junkware Removal Tool, AdAware, and HitmanPro 3. No threats detected. Should I be concerned? Or is this just likely something that is down to SSL weirdness or my browser updating to display something transparently that was previously concealed (since non https sites wouldn't display as fully secure anyway, right? It's just the symbol denoting it that is new, presumably. Https:// sites remain secure, so... )

Thanks!

Peace.

a reply to: AceWombat04

There must have been a resent update as there some small changes to the Chrome browser, i noticed these changes yesterday, incl. your topic.

Stealth update...

a reply to: AceWombat04

I've just downloaded Chrome to see what you're seeing. The i is for information and looks like a new tool by Google to highlight which cookies come with which websites. Are you seeing 'not private' or 'not secure?'

I get the 'not private.' Not 'private' means third parties can track your page visits through these cookies. It doesn't mean ATS is gonna drop malware on your device.

Coincidentally, I got a full page advert for TV show Halcyon that blocks me from seeing anything and doesn't appear to have any way of getting rid. No X and no text to click on.

ETA - the ad has gone now. It looks like it was set to swamp the entire screen for five minutes or so. Nasty.

a reply to: Kandinsky

I saw that too briefly lol.

Nope just not private, not unsecure. So consensus is it's an update that just makes more visible what was already so? Cool beans.

Thanks, all!

Peace.

a reply to: Mianeye

Google are going to flag all non HTTPS sites shortly.

I'll try and find the link .

Chrome was first off the rank (I think), but most browsers are going to follow suit soon and become alot more strict about website security. Any site that's not running SSL, or is using a version of SSL/TLS known to be insecure (eg: SHA1 certificates) will be flagged as insecure and you'll either see a little (i) icon, or in the case of SHA1/self signed certificates, a big red exclamation mark as well as a warning informing you that the site is considered untrusted and are you sure you want to continue through to the site.

The owners of these sites need either enable SSL, or get new SHA2 certificates to get rid of the warnings/icons. At the same time they should be configuring HSTS to prevent protocol downgrade attacks and cookie hijacking.

a reply to: AceWombat04

It's the same for me on Firefox. ATS says not secure.
I was wondering about that too.

a reply to: Reverbs

Wow. I've never once clicked the 'i' on FF. You're right though, it does say 'connection is not secure.'

It says the same on every site that doesn't have encrypted connections such as Yahoo/Gmail email accounts, Amazon, bank accounts and Outlook etc. Pretty much what LordGoofus was saying.

Okay, it makes sense to my brain now lol.

The i only tells me it isn't private. But if I click details, then it does says this page is "unsecure." However it seems there are three levels of security by Chrome logic. Secure, unsecured, and insecure.

Insecure seems to be the only one to really worry about. Whereas unsecure - which any non https site (including ATS) now says, and while less secure than "secure" obviously - seems like an unecessarily scary term that really just means "not using SSL." Nothing about the status of the site (or any other that I can tell) has actually changed.

Just how seriously browser terminology has decided to take security and privacy. (Which is a good thing for end users in the long run, especially if it leads to sites adopting it.)

Peace.

a reply to: Cymru

www.theregister.co.uk...

a reply to: AceWombat04

There are some sites on google which do get flagged as being unsafe but if you are a regular visitor to that site, you should have an option to continue or not on the screen.