I was at a coffee shop and had to (I mean had to) check something on my bank acc

Question

I was at a coffee shop and had to (I mean had to) check something on my bank account and another account. I figured since the two websites I was viewing were encrypted, and because my computer (I'm on a Mac) has a firewall, and I don't share through a cloud or such, that my information is safe. Google is encrypted from the moment that you search, and I connected to the actual wifi of the coffee shop (I had to accept their terms in order to do so).

So I was using HTTPS the entire time. I contacted the bank tech support and they confirmed that their whole website is completely encrypted. Same with the other account. Was I safe? There was a person nearby who looked as if he was doing something suspicious on his computer as far as hacking/networking.

How Safe Are Encrypted Websites Really?

Explanation / Answer

It isn't the web site that's encrypted (that wouldn't make much sense), but the connection between its web server and your computer.

That's what HTTPS means: secure HTTP, that is, HTTP over an encrypted connection, provided by the SSL/TLS protocol.

So to answer your question: If the connection was over HTTPS and you checked that the bank web site was the correct one, then you were safe. You just need to check the domain as well: Most bank certificates are Extended Validation (EV) certificates which most browsers display differently.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse I
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.