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Google tightens Gmail security
KEEN TO PROVE how secure its Gmail web-based email service is after Chinese hackers broke into its services, Google has tightened up Gmail encryption.
Since 2008 users of Google mail have had the option of using the HTTPS protocol, which encrypts mail as it travels between the web browser and Google's servers.
Writing in its blog, Google said that using HTTPS helps protect data from being snooped by third parties, such as in public WiFi hotspots.
Initially Google decided to leave the choice of using HTTPS all the time instead of just during user signon to its users because the more secure protocol did slow down traffic.
After researching the matter, Google now thinks that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks and has turned on HTTPS on for everyone all the time.
It is rolling out default HTTPS for everyone. If you've previously set your own preference in Gmail Settings to HTTPS, nothing will change for your account. If punters trust the security of their networks and don't want default HTTPS turned on for performance reasons, they can turn it off from the Gmail Settings menu.
Still, we wonder if Google would have done this if it had not been for those pesky Chinese. µ
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If you use the gmail notifier, it will dump you into a standard http session, not a https session.
@charles
well speed is first reason-google always carefully assembled their websites to achieve fast loading times for to avoid world wide wait
other reason is control over what employees are sending out&receiving. I have been working on MS ISA webmonitor plug-in for 9 years and you would be surprised how many companies sees https as bypass through their gateway security. Gateway products resisted to infiltrate into https and therefore break one of the purpose of https -to protect against man in the middle
attacks. However perception changed and these days gateway products do break https and certificate of website received by browser might not be what web server sent.
btw chat part of https gmail page is in plain http form which is not as secure solution as it should be.
I've had this option enabled since it was first made available. Why anyone would want to access their sensitive e-mails over an unsecure connection is beyond me.