Firefox 83, scheduled for release later today, will ship with a replacement security feature named “HTTPS-Only Mode” which will attempt to load all websites via HTTPS or show a mistake message on sites that only support the older and insecure HTTP protocol.
By default, the new feature is disabled, but users can enable it by getting to the Firefox Options page, to the Privacy & Security section, then checking out the HTTPS-Only Mode settings.
According to Mozilla, the new feature works by attempting to seek out the HTTPS version of any website, whether the user has accessed the location by typing or clicking on an HTTP link.
If Firefox can’t auto-upgrade a site to an HTTPS connection, the browser will show a mistake to the user and ask them to click a button to verify they need to access an internet site via an older HTTP connection.
The new HTTPS-Only Mode feature also can be enabled or disabled by clicking the lock icon within the address bar and selecting it from the drop-down panel that appears.
Today, the HTTP protocol is taken into account insecure because all traffic occurs via plaintext messages which will be intercepted and expose a user’s web traffic.
The HTTPS protocol is the natural evolution of the HTTP protocol, with the connection being established and happening via an encrypted channel.
Mozilla said it fully expects that HTTPS will become the quality thanks to navigate the online . As more websites will migrate to HTTPS, Mozilla said it’ll soon be possible for browser makers to deprecate HTTP connections altogether, effectively making the HTTPS-Only Mode the default browsing state going forward.
