Answer: A
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) is a system for transmitting and receiving information across the Internet. Http serves as a request and response procedure that all agents on the Internet follow so that information can be rapidly, easily, and accurately disseminated between servers, which hold information, and clients, who are trying to access it. Http is commonly used to access html pages, but other resources can be utilized as well through http. In many cases, clients may be exchanging confidential information with a server, which needs to be secured in order to prevent unauthorized access. For this reason,https, or secure http, was developed by Netscape corporation to allow authorization and secured transactions.
In many ways, https is identical to http, because it follows the same basic protocols. The http or https client, such as a Web browser, establishes a connection to a server on a standard port. When a server receives a request, it returns a status and a message, which may contain the requested information or indicate an error if part of the process malfunctioned. Both systems use the same Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) scheme, so that resources can be universally identified. Use of https in a URI scheme rather than http indicates that an encrypted connection is desired.
There are some primary differences between http and https, however, beginning with the default port, which is 80 for http and 443 for https. Https works by transmitting normal http interactions through an encrypted system, so that in theory, the information cannot be accessed by any party other than the client and end server. There are two common types of encryption layers: Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), both of which encode the data records being exchanged.
When using an https connection, the server responds to the initial connection by offering a list of encryption methods it supports. In response, the client selects a connection method, and the client and server exchange certificates to authenticate their identities. After this is done, both parties exchange the encrypted information after ensuring that both are using the same key, and the connection is closed. In order to host https connections, a server must have a public key certificate, which embeds key information with a verification of the key owner’s identity. Most certificates are verified by a third party so that clients are assured that the key is secure.
Https is used in many situations, such as log-in pages for banking, forms, corporate log ons, and other applications in which data needs to be secure. However, if not implemented properly,https is not infallible, and therefore it is extremely important for end users to be wary about accepting questionable certificates and cautious with their personal information while using the Internet.
Answer: B
It’s all about keeping you secure
HTTP stands for HyperText Transport Protocol, which is just a fancy way of saying it’s a protocol (a language, in a manner of speaking) for information to be passed back and forth between web servers and clients.
You really don’t need to know what it all stands for; the important thing is the letter S which makes the difference between HTTP and HTTPS. The S (big surprise) stands for “Secure”. You probably didn’t need me to tell you that, because you already knew it had something to do with security.
If you visit a website or webpage, and look at the address in the web browser, it will likely begin with the following: http://. This means that the website is talking to your browser using the regular ‘unsecure’ language. In other words, it is possible for someone to “eavesdrop” on your computer’s conversation with the website. If you fill out a form on the website, someone might see the information you send to that site.
This is why you never ever ever enter your credit card number in an http website!
But if the web address begins with https://, that basically means your computer is talking to the website in a secure code that no one can eavesdrop on.
You understand why this is so important, right? If a website ever asks you to enter your credit card information, you should automatically look to see if the web address begins with https://.
Here they are…
Okay, but I have to warn you, you won’t see anything different; HTTP and HTTPS sites don’t look any different. There are only two differences you’ll notice:
- The web address (at the top of your web browser) will begin with https instead of http.
- Your web browser may give you a message something like: You are about to view pages over a secure connection.
Okay? So here are a couple examples of https sites.
PayPal: https://www.paypal.com
Google AdSense: https://www.google.com/adsense/
Answer: C
The “S” in HTTPS indicates a secure site. If you visit a web site or web page, and look at the address in the web browser, it will likely begin with the following: http://. This means that the web site is talking to your browser using the regular ‘unsecured’ language. In other If you fill out a form on the web site, someone might see the information you send to that site. This is why you never ever enter your credit card number in an http web site! But if the web address begins with https://, your computer is talking to the web site in a secure code that no one can eavesdrop on.
If a web site ever asks you to enter your credit card information, you should look to see if the web address begins with https://.
Answer: D
The significance of S:
Http or the hypertext transfer protocol is something we use when we access the internet. Though we seldom notice it if at all, it plays a very essential role. Http defines the methodology and rules of transporting data from the servers of the site we like to view down to our computer and vice versa. To most of us non-technical people, this should no longer be our concern just as long as we get what we asked the server for.
The problem with http though is that it is vulnerable to people who might want to eavesdrop or see what your activity is all about. This too shouldn’t really be a serious problem if all you are doing is watching stupid videos in youtube or googling your assignment. Most of our activity on the internet isn’t really that important for people to really care about. And even though it is there to see, no one who knows how to do it would actually bother to waste the time or face the possible legal implications of such acts.
The true problem arises when you are sending or receiving data that is confidential or sensitive. You sure wouldn’t want other people knowing what your personal 
emails contain. Private messages should stay private. Then there are on-line transactions, when you buy something and you pay for it with your credit card, your credit card number gets sent across the internet every time. And if you are using http to do this then it should be real easy for malicious people to do harm to you or your finances.
The Internet’s answer to this is https or HTTP over SSL is a secured connection that transmits data over the internet in an encrypted form. This security method means that even if someone is eavesdropping, the data they get would not be comprehensible or usable because they don’t have the means to decrypt it. The entire message is decrypted only when it arrives at its designated location.
So why don’t we shift everything to https? So that everything is secured. Although that is possible, it isn’t very advisable. Transmitting data via https require additional processing power to encrypt/decrypt the data. When you think about the servers who process millions if not billions of data in a day, that could result In massive slowdowns. That is why https is only used in certain pages that contain sensitive information like credit card numbers or passwords.
