![]() How do you inform the user about a potential security threat without annoying them and interrupting their task? For more information on the differences between Mixed Active and Mixed Passive Content, see here.ĭesigning UI for security is always tricky. Firefox 23+ will block Mixed Active Content by default, but allows Mixed Passive Content on HTTPS pages. Mixed Active Content is considered more dangerous than Mixed Passive Content because the former can alter the behavior of an HTTPS page and potentially steal sensitive data from users. What types of Mixed Content are blocked by default and what types are not? The browser security community has divided mixed content into two categories: Mixed Active Content (like scripts) and Mixed Passive Content (like images). With the latest Aurora, Firefox will block certain types of Mixed Content by default, providing a per-page option for users to “Disable Protection” and override the blocking. When an HTTPS page contains HTTP resources, the HTTP resources are called Mixed Content. The Mixed Content Blocker is enabled by default in Firefox 23 and protects our users from man-in-the-middle attacks and eavesdroppers on HTTPS pages. I just wanted to bring this to the attention of anyone interested in the lock icon.įirefox 23 moved from Nightly to Aurora this week, bundled with a new browser security feature. Please note further down in the blog the phrase, “But since the the page is not fully encrypted the user will not see the lock icon in the location bar.” Please read the entire blog for a more detailed explanation. Here is the latest Firefox update (Firefox 23) specifically regarding “The Lock” icon. Take a breath and figure out what’s going on before you hand over any of your personal information. But that padlock does need to be somewhere and if you can’t find it or it disappears for some reason, I would absolutely be suspicious. Then you know that you’re visiting the site that you believe you are visiting. Https should typically 1 be safe as long as the padlock icon indicates that the certificate is correct. In short, if the browser alerts you that something’s wrong with the certificate, don’t just blindly accept it. It also may mean that the site has been hacked or you have malware on your machine. It could also be a clock problem certificates are time and date based, so if the clock on your PC is wrong, then the validation of the certificate could fail. Usually, it’s an expired certificate, sometimes it’s a server misconfiguration, sometimes it’s user error (Ask Leo!, above, is not available over https). Now, the padlock may occasionally show up with a line through it, in red, or something else. They’re perfect for things like banks, PayPal, and those kinds of scenarios. You have to prove a few more things about who you are before those certificates will get issued and obviously, you end up having to pay more money. The issue with the extended validation certificates is simply that they are harder and more expensive to get. ![]() That is a level of additional verification. In my case, the beginning of the address bar displays a bar with the padlock and the name of the entity (in this case, ). If you go to, that will actually show you a slightly different item in place of the padlock. There’s also something called extended verification certificates, which some sites will use. That’s just a little example site of my own, but it has a valid certificate and displays a little green padlock to the left of the URL (in Chrome). You can test this out yourself by visiting an https site. If you go to an https site, there’s a padlock somewhere, depending on the browser you’re using. I do want to cover just exactly what that padlock does (and does not) mean and what the https is all about. I suspect that there’s actually something that you’re missing on screen, which is fine. You’re justified in asking these questions.
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