Vocal Voices

When I call up my BT e-mail log-in page, it displays, needless to say, with either one or two adverts, which of course vary day-to-day.

I've noticed that sometimes, the advert(s) can cause the Google Chrome "green lock" (secure site connection) to change to a "grey lock with a warning triangle" (which means: The site uses SSL, but Google Chrome has detected insecure content on the page. Be careful if you're entering sensitive information on this page. Insecure content can provide a loophole for someone to change the look of the page.)

Am I OK entering the user ID / password on such a "grey lock" page, or would you advise me not to? For example, it's currently displaying a "grey lock" and the ad is for some new Volkswagen model called the Up!.

I've tried researching the issue on the net but the only articles I've found tend to go on about turning off the Google warning, as if it isn't that important ...... am I just being paranoid worrying about it?

Hi Ossie,

Chrome is reporting what it finds. It has found an included part of the secure webpage which points to a non secure location. So the advert being included on the page is http:// rather than https://. Because the included element is not secure, chrome warns that it could be malicious or represent itself other than what it is.

So in terms of your BT Yahoo login page, there is no problem. You know that the login fields are correct and secure. However, were you to click on one of the adverts then you are on your own. That is all Chrome is telling you.

I use a simple rule of thumb on this.

If I have selected the page myself (not clicked on a link from a web page) and it is a place I normally go and the page is presented as it should be, then so long as I go where I should go, then I'm safe.

Of course if you click on a link from a site and go somewhere which purports to be safe https:// and you get this message. Unless your future life, wealth or happiness depends on it... The barge pole is the preferred method of handling.

Ossie, just a couple of things to add to Suff's info.

I use Chrome and it does not now have an 'always shown' status bar at the bottom of the screen, it only appears when you hover over a link. Unless that link is secure it does not show any http:// or even www. information on some sites. However, if the link is secure it will show https:// followed by the full address.

The address bar is similar. If you right click an empty area within it it will give more information, but not much. However, if you are in a secure site it will show ssl. before the address information.

My yahoo login page was free of ads and I couldn't get that info WM. Thanks.

Of course all the info provided in the hover and right click is of a technical nature for techies like us. Sadly the punter has to either learn or guess....

One of the beauties of IE is that it still gives full address information in both the address and status bars, and the full status bar is always shown by default. OK a bit of screen acreage is lost, but I prefer information.

Thank you both; I appreciate the reassurance.

I'm definitely punter level, Suff - but I am trying to be cautious rather than avante guarde these days .....

Good move. Unlike the shouted phone conversation with my middle daughter who told me in no uncertain terms that she had responded to a mail from ebay, on her mail account not linked to ebay but put in the item comments, which asked for her debit card details and dob. Which allowed then to attack the account.

I was an idiot of course couldn't I understand that ebay had sent her a mail demanding these details or dire consequences would occur.

Only after contacting her bank, at my suggestion and finding out that there had already been 4 attempts to take money out of it, did I get an apology.

Caution is worth 1,000 security programs. Security programs are for when caution can't be applied or the threat can't be seen.....