Why Is My HTTPS Connection Shown as Insecure?

Overview

When accessing a website protected by SSL, you might encounter a "mixed content" warning or notice that the SSL indicator in your browser appears differently than usual. This issue indicates that not all resources on the page are being loaded securely, which can compromise the security of your site.

Cause

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is intended to protect data transfers by encrypting the communication between the user's browser and the server. However, if a website loads resources (like images, scripts, or stylesheets) over a non-encrypted HTTP connection while the main page is served over HTTPS, it results in "mixed content." This situation arises when, for example, an image is included on a webpage using:

<img src="http://mysite.com/img.jpg" />

Because the image is loaded over an unencrypted connection, it opens up the possibility for third parties to intercept or "sniff" the traffic, which defeats the purpose of using SSL. Modern browsers alert users to these issues to maintain high security standards.

Solution

To resolve mixed content warnings and ensure that your HTTPS connection is fully secure, you have two options:

1. Change All Links to HTTPS:

   • Update all resource links on your site from http:// to https://. This ensures that every element on your page is loaded over a secure, encrypted connection.

   Example:

   <img src="https://mysite.com/img.jpg" />

2. Use Protocol-Relative URLs:

   • As a more concise solution, you can use protocol-relative URLs by omitting the protocol (http: or https:) entirely. This way, the browser will automatically use the same protocol as the page from which the resource is being requested.

   Example:

   <img src="//mysite.com/img.jpg" />

Using these methods will help eliminate mixed content warnings, ensuring that your site is fully secured with SSL and providing a safer experience for your visitors.