Skip to main content

Firefox 51 will warn you if you're about to enter a password on an unsecured site

Online security is a function of a wide range of technologies, from the security of your internet connection to the operating system you use to your chosen browser. And making sure that all of the resources under your control are safe isn’t enough — there’s also the safety of the web sites you’re visiting.

One of the key technologies aimed at ensuring a safe environment is visiting HTTPS-secured sites as often as possible. While that’s not always under your control, you can at least try to stay informed on whether or not a site uses encryption. The latest version of Mozilla’s Firefox browser, Firefox 51, makes it more clear than ever if you’re on a potentially unsafe web page.

Recommended Videos

In the past, Firefox simply added a green lock icon to designate sites that use HTTPS, with a neutral, or no lock icon, address bar used for sites without encryption. Keeping your eye out for that green icon was your only option when visiting sites that ask you to enter banking information, passwords, and other sensitive information.

Image used with permission by copyright holder
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Firefox 51, however, will use a gray lock icon with a red slash to indicate non-HTTPS sites whenever a page askes for a password, giving you a more active means to identify potentially unsafe sites. If you click on the “I” icon for that site, you’ll be notified that the site is not secure and that your login information could be handed over to nefarious parties.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Future versions of Firefox will be even more description, as Mozilla indicates on its security blog. At some point, users will start receiving notice of unsecure connections whenever they enter sensitive information such as usernames and passwords. Also, Firefox will eventually start displaying a crossed out gray lock icon on all sites that don’t use HTTPS, not just those that ask for passwords, and Mozilla plans to continue to encourage developers and web site owners to implement HTTPS.

While we users are ultimately responsible for ensuring that we’re only entering sensitive information in the right places, the companies that provide the tools we use can also lend us a hand. Mozilla is doing just that with its plans to both push the continued adoption of HTTPS and keep us informed when we’re on a site that isn’t encrypted.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock is a Freelance Writer at Digital Trends covering primarily laptop and other computing technologies. He has…
My favorite web browser is one you’ve probably ignored – and you shouldn’t
Opera browser on a laptop.

The world of web browsers is divided across some deep fault lines. On one hand, you have Chrome and Safari, which are clearly segregated across ecosystems and command the lion’s share of the market. Edge is a distant third, while Firefox and Brave are mostly tied to small enthusiast communities. 

Then we have new entrants like Arc, which are trying to radically reimagine the concept of a web browser. Smushed between the big players and small fish, we have the Opera browser. It has been around for a while, but in the past couple of years, it has really picked up the pace of innovation.

Read more
6 security settings I always change on a new Windows PC
The Windows Security app in Windows 11.

It's tempting to jump straight into personalizing a new Windows 11 PC — apps, wallpaper, the works. I've been there. There's just something about tweaking a new machine that makes it feel like yours. But before the fun starts, I always take some time to lock down the security settings. It's a small effort that pays off with peace of mind, especially with so many online threats lurking out there. After all, nothing kills the excitement of a new PC faster than running into a virus or security scare.

Here are the settings I change every time I get a new Windows 11 PC — and why they matter.

Read more
It’s not your imagination — ChatGPT models actually do hallucinate more now
Deep Research option for ChatGPT.

OpenAI released a paper last week detailing various internal tests and findings about its o3 and o4-mini models. The main differences between these newer models and the first versions of ChatGPT we saw in 2023 are their advanced reasoning and multimodal capabilities. o3 and o4-mini can generate images, search the web, automate tasks, remember old conversations, and solve complex problems. However, it seems these improvements have also brought unexpected side effects.

What do the tests say?

Read more