Billions of Chrome and Android users warned of important ‘lock’ change – check now or it could cost you

GOOGLE has made a major change to the ‘lock’ symbol which users long believed meant a website they visited was safe.

The icon has finally been made redundant by the tech giant in its most recent Chrome update.

Alamy

The lock symbol was a sign that a website was using HTTPS encryption to encrypt connections, which helped make it impenetrable for hackers.

Websites no longer need the symbol now that more than 99 per cent of all web pages are loaded in Google Chrome using HTTPS encryption.

This includes websites that are disguising phishing attacks.

It had been inherited from a time when HTTPS was “rare”, according to Google.

Back then, ‘dodgy’ sites designed for phishing didn’t often have HTTPS encryption.

But times have changed, and so must Chrome.

“This misunderstanding is not harmless — nearly all phishing sites use HTTPS, and therefore also display the lock icon,” Google explains.

“Misunderstandings are so pervasive that many organisations, including the FBI, publish explicit guidance that the lock icon is not an indicator of website safety.”

While the lock will no longer be found on the address bar, it won’t be removed entirely.

Google is tucking it inside the ‘tune’ submenu to show website connections are secure.

The tech giant warned of the move two years ago, saying secure website indicators are no longer necessary.

Instead, Google has ramped up efforts to block sites containing malware and warn users when they’re loading in to a site where something nefarious could be lurking.

“HTTPS is the norm, not the exception, and we’ve been evolving Chrome accordingly,” says Google.

“The new icon is scheduled to launch in Chrome 117, which releases in early September 2023, as part of a general design refresh for desktop platforms.”

The lock icon will also be replaced in Google Chrome for Android in September, but it will be removed completely from iOS devices such as the iPhone.

The Google Chrome update, known as Chrome 113, likely updated automatically on your laptop or PC overnight.

But if it didn’t, simply follow these steps:

• Open Google Chrome in your browser.
• Tap the three dots in the top right of the screen.
• Tap Help > About Google Chrome
• Wait for it to finish updating
• Click Relaunch for the updating version of Chrome to pull through

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