The Myth of HTTPS Reliability: How Encryption Can Mislead Users

Among internet users, a long-standing myth has taken hold: if a website has the HTTPS mark - that is, a padlock in the address bar and the letter S after “http” - it means the resource is safe and trustworthy. Many have even learned to avoid sites without encryption. But in reality, the situation is much more complicated. In recent years, hackers and scammers have actively used HTTPS to disguise their phishing and malicious websites. The outward sign of security no longer guarantees real protection.

Where this myth came from and why people still believe it

The idea of HTTPS websites being safe did not appear by chance. Over the past decade, internet companies, browsers, and antivirus services have promoted HTTPS as the standard for secure web surfing. Resources using unencrypted HTTP began to be labeled as “not secure,” while those with HTTPS received a “green padlock.” This approach shaped a habit in people to equate encryption with trust. However, this is only one part of the bigger picture.

What does HTTPS actually mean?

HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) is a protocol for data exchange between a user and a website that provides encryption during transmission. This means that third parties cannot intercept your personal data when you enter it into a form or log in to a site. However, the mere presence of HTTPS does not confirm that the website was created by a trustworthy organization or a verified individual. HTTPS does not filter out fraudsters, it only makes the connection encrypted.

The padlock doesn’t save you: Most fraudulent sites already use HTTPS

Today, getting an HTTPS certificate is fairly easy and free - services like Let’s Encrypt make it accessible to anyone. Cybercriminals actively take advantage of this. They create look-alike websites of banks, mail services, or delivery platforms, enable HTTPS, and appear completely convincing.

According to the Hoxhunt Phishing Trends Report, in 2024 around 80% of phishing websites had HTTPS. This makes them harder to detect, since even experienced users subconsciously trust the padlock icon. Thus, encryption alone no longer provides protection, in fact, it can be misleading.

What to really pay attention to

To avoid phishing attacks, it’s important to analyze a website comprehensively:

1. 1. 1. 1. Check the URL: even a single extra or substituted letter (for example, amaz0n.com instead of amazon.com) is a reason to be cautious.
         2. Don’t enter personal or payment data on sites you accessed through suspicious emails or messengers.
         3. Look out for language mistakes, strange layouts, or unusually urgent calls to action (“enter the code right now or you’ll lose access”).

If in doubt, it’s better to find the website yourself through search rather than clicking on a link.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that the HTTPS mark is no longer a guarantee of security. It is only a technical indicator that your data is not being intercepted during transmission, but it says nothing about the intentions behind the website itself. In today’s reality, the browser padlock is not a symbol of trust - it is just part of the interface. Trust should be placed not in icons, but in verified sources.