Without HTTPS, a variety of cyber attacks are possible. Often users can still continue on to the page in spite of this message, although this is not recommended.

In Microsoft Edge, it's also 'Your connection is not secure'.

In Mozilla Firefox, it's: 'Your connection is not secure'.

In Google Chrome, the error message is: 'Your connection is not private,' followed by 'Attackers might be trying to steal your information from '.

On top of that, a website without an SSL certificate can't encrypt communications – imagine if Jeff's lack of an ID card meant that anyone around the world could suddenly hear the conversation between Jeff and the cashier. Much like Jeff, a website without an SSL certificate cannot prove its identity. The cashier is right to respond with suspicion and terminate the transaction altogether. The man may not in fact be 22 years old, and for that matter the man might not even be named Jeff.

SSL certificates are necessary for serving websites over secure HTTPS connections.Īn invalid or missing SSL certificate is almost the cryptographic equivalent of a cashier at a corner store asking a man for identification in order to prove he's old enough to purchase alcohol, and instead of producing a government-issued ID card, he pulls out a piece of paper on which someone has written, 'This man is named Jeff, and he is 22 years old.' This, of course, is not legitimate identification.

This error is caused by an issue with the website's SSL certificate – it's missing, or it's expired, or it wasn't issued by a legitimate certificate authority, or the client can't access it for some other reason. This is why the browser will say 'Your connection is not private' or 'Your connection is not secure': it can't verify the web server, and it can't encrypt messages to stop attackers from reading them. In addition, the client is unable to verify that it is connected to the correct server. This error means that the connection between the client (the user's device, such as a laptop or tablet) and the server (the website host) is not encrypted, even though the client device expected it to be encrypted.Īs a result, attackers will be able to see what the user does on the website – messages between the client and the server are sent in plaintext, instead of being scrambled via encryption.

Users may occasionally find themselves blocked from reaching a website by a 'Your connection is not private' message.

What does the 'Your connection is not private' error mean?

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