HTTP, short for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, is a standard protocol used for data transfer on the World Wide Web. It prescribes how data should be transferred between your web browser and the server, but it has no security features, leaving it vulnerable to a large number of cyber threats, such as data tampering and interception. That lack of security spurred the development of its secure version—HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. The information passing back and forth from your browser to the server cannot be eavesdropped upon or tampered with due to the extra padding of encryption given by HTTPS, this article will discuss the major differences between HTTP and HTTPS, why HTTP is insecure, and how HTTPS remedies such loopholes.
What is HTTPS?
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, it is an extension of HTTP that employs encryption as a security measure. In this process, your browser and the server exchange encrypted data—HTTPS makes it much harder for third parties to intercept or alter the data.
- Encryption: The data are encrypted by Transport Layer Security (TLS) or its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), in the course of the transmission
- Authentication: For proving you are speaking to the real server, not an imposter, HTTPS gives the server authentication
- Integrity of Data: HTTPS guarantees the data are unaltered and identical to those sent.
What is HTTP?
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which is the basic protocol to transfer data on the internet. When you open a website HTTP takes care of how data is exchanged between your web browser and the server hosting the site. This protocol enables the transfer of web pages, images, and other resources from a server to your browser.
- Usage: Most web traffic uses HTTP for loading web pages, submitting forms, and accessing other web-based resources.
- Transmission of Data: Since HTTP data is transmitted in plain text, anyone having access to the data stream can read and intercept it.
HTTP vs. HTTPS: What are the Differences?
Feature | HTTP | HTTPS |
|---|
Full Form | Hypertext Transfer Protocol | Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure |
Data Integrity | In this No guarantee of data integrity; data can be altered. | In this Ensures data integrity; any tampering is detected. |
Encryption | In HTTP Data is transmitted in plain text. | In HTTPS Data is encrypted using TLS/SSL. |
Authentication | No server authentication | Provides server authentication |
Risk of Interception | High risk of data interception and eavesdropping. | Low risk due to encryption preventing data from being easily intercepted. |
Security Indicators | No visible indicators, users may show warnings for non-secure sites. | Visible padlock icon and “https” in the URL to indicate security. |
Performance | Generally faster due to the lack of encryption overhead. | May be slightly slower due to encryption processes, but performance differences are minimal. |
Use Cases | Suitable for non-sensitive and public information. | Essential for sensitive transactions such as online banking, shopping, and login pages. |
Well everyone of us at least once come across the statement:
“Make sure abc website uses HTTPS before entering your private information.”
If yes then have you ever tried to find the reason behind this statement. Let’s find out the reason. Before proceeding further two points must be clear-
- HTTP : HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the core communication protocol used to access the World Wide Web. It uses a message-based model in which a client sends a request message and server returns a response message.
- HTTPS : HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) clearly it names indicate that this is an secure advancement of HTTP. It is basically the same application-layer protocol as HTTP but it is tunneled over secure transport mechanism.
The point to understand is that HTTP transfer data as plain text whereas HTTPS adds a encryption layer to data. Now we have understand that HTTP does not encrypt our data while communication which means a attacker which is suitably positioned on the network can eavesdrop or look our data. To start our exploration we are using Linux machine and wireshark as packet analyzer tool (they are used for network analysis). Firstly we have to setup wireshark to monitor all ongoing HTTP traffic for that we will enter the following filter in wireshark to only get HTTP requests:
http && ip.addr == "ip address"
Now, we are able to monitor all ongoing traffic as shown in image:
You might be thinking that an attacker is only able to see your browsing but he can also get your credentials if victim try to login. let’s see now visit a page and enter the credentials let say username =’test’ and password=’test’ then press login. When we switch back to wireshark and find that corresponding request we are able to see our entered username and password.
But, if we try to analyze packets for HTTPS request it doesn’t disclose any credentials due to encryption.
Conclusion
In conclusion, HTTP is not secure because it sends data in plain text, which makes it vulnerable to being intercepted and altered. By encrypting data and ensuring the authenticity and integrity of the exchanged information, HTTPS improves security, consequently HTTPS is the protocol of choice for establishing user trust and protecting sensitive data, for the purpose of protecting user information from potential cyber threats and securing web communications, adopting HTTPS is essential.
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