HTTPS
HTTP wrapped in TLS encryption; it prevents data between browser and site from being eavesdropped on or altered.
// EXPLANATION
HTTPS provides not only privacy but also integrity and authentication: a page cannot be altered in transit and is verified by its certificate as coming from the intended server. The padlock shows the connection is encrypted, not that the site is trustworthy.
// ALSO KNOWN AS
HTTPS
// RELATED TERMS
SSL/TLSThe family of protocols that encrypts communication over the internet and verifies the identity of the other side; the basis of the browser padlock.
Digital certificateAn electronic document that binds a public key to an identity (for example a domain name) and is signed by a trusted authority.
Man-in-the-middle attackAn attack in which the attacker secretly inserts themselves into communication between two parties to listen to or alter it.