What Is HTTPS and Why Is It Still Essential for Cybersecurity in 2025?

As organizations shift toward cloud-first and API-centric infrastructure, secure web browsing and HTTPS encryption must remain top priorities. HTTPS, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, continues to serve as the backbone of encrypted web communications.

Despite widespread adoption, many implementations remain flawed. Misconfigurations, expired certificates, and deprecated protocols create openings for attackers. Here’s what you need to know about HTTPS and ensuring confidentiality, authenticity, and data integrity across every digital interaction.

What Is HTTPS?

HTTPS is the secure version of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It encrypts data in transit between a browser and a website using Transport Layer Security (TLS). This encryption protects data from interception, tampering, or spoofing during transmission.

When a user connects to a secure website, their browser initiates a TLS handshake to verify the server’s identity and negotiate encryption parameters. This process is fundamental to how HTTPS prevents man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, session hijacking, and unauthorized data manipulation.

Why HTTPS Still Matters

Even with widespread implementation, HTTPS remains crucial for several reasons:

• Zero Trust architectures rely on encrypted communications between internal and external services. HTTPS enables mutual trust even within segmented networks.

• API ecosystems—which underpin mobile apps and software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms—require secure transmission channels to prevent data interception.

• Remote and hybrid workforces access corporate systems over untrusted networks. HTTPS helps safeguard that traffic.

• Advanced phishing tactics now mimic legitimate encrypted websites. Valid TLS certificates and proper domain validation help users distinguish genuine sites from spoofed versions.

• Regulations such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and the European Union’s GDPR mandate or suggest encryption of data in transit.

These considerations make HTTPS benefits in 2025 undeniable for any organization transmitting data, whether public or private.

Common Misconceptions About HTTPS

Even with widespread adoption, several persistent myths still cloud discussions around HTTPS:

“I don’t collect sensitive data, so I don’t need HTTPS.”
Seemingly low-risk data like browsing patterns can be used for surveillance, ad injection, or fingerprinting if left unencrypted.

“HTTPS is always secure.”
Only if correctly configured. Weak ciphers, expired certificates, and insecure TLS versions leave encrypted connections vulnerable.

“HTTPS guarantees trust.”
Not entirely. Attackers can obtain valid certificates for deceptive domains. Verifying the full TLS certificate chain and domain ownership remains necessary.

“SSL and HTTPS are the same thing.”
No. HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP and is not the same thing as SSL. HTTPS relies on the encryption protocol Transport Layer Security (TLS), which was formerly known as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

Emerging Threats to HTTPS Traffic

Threat actors continue finding ways to exploit encrypted communications. Among the key threats:

• SSL stripping attacks downgrade HTTPS connections to plaintext HTTP.

• Certificate spoofing allows attackers to impersonate legitimate services using fraudulent certificates.

• TLS downgrade attacks (such as the POODLE attack) force connections to use obsolete encryption methods.

• Misissued certificates and weak Certificate Authority (CA) practices have led to compromises, including at major trust providers.

SecurityScorecard’s scoring framework identifies these risks—flagging improper TLS versions and expired certificates.

HTTPS and Supply Chain Exposure

Misconfigured HTTPS in a vendor’s environment doesn’t just affect them—it can expose your users to credential theft, redirect attacks, and malware injection. As organizations depend more on third-party SaaS platforms, secure HTTPS implementation must extend across the supply chain.

SecurityScorecard continuously scans web application traffic—including HTTPS encryption configurations—for millions of entities. This visibility helps identify vendors with unsafe or outdated encryption practices. When vendors mismanage their HTTPS configurations, your users inherit the risk. That’s where external visibility becomes essential

Best Practices for HTTPS Configuration in 2025

A secure HTTPS deployment requires careful planning and ongoing management. Key recommendations include:

• Use TLS 1.3, which improves both security and performance.

• Disable older protocols, including SSL, TLS 1.0, and TLS 1.1.

• Enable HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) to enforce secure connections and prevent downgrade attacks.

• Monitor certificates for expiration and renew proactively using automated tools.

• Use certificates to increase user confidence, particularly for sensitive services.

• Implement Content Security Policies (CSPs) to mitigate XSS threats even within encrypted sessions.

These controls are especially critical in regulated environments, where failure to maintain strong encryption can result in non-compliance penalties and breach exposure.

Executive Summary

Organizations that treat HTTPS as a living, monitored system—not a one-time setup—are better prepared for web-layer threats. While adoption is widespread, misconfigurations, weak implementations, and expired certificates continue to expose organizations to preventable risk.

As hackers increasingly leverage third-party vulnerabilities to conduct cyber-operations, organizations must go beyond enabling HTTPS—they must implement and monitor it correctly. SecurityScorecard equips security teams with the tools to evaluate and monitor HTTPS implementations not only internally, but across vendor ecosystems. With continuous scanning and actionable insights, teams can identify weak points before attackers do, ensuring that HTTPS and data integrity remain pillars of your risk posture.

Transform Third-Party Risk into a Supply Chain Resilience
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