Google Not Secure Error: Possible Causes and Effective Fixes

Google Not Secure warning usually appears in the address bar when you visit unsecure websites or when your browser’s time and date are not correct.

In this complete guide, our team will tell you all the possible causes of the warning prompt and how you can easily fix it. 

What Are the Causes of Google Not Secure Warning?

The leading cause of the Google Not Secure warning is a lack of a secure connection to a particular web page. Typically, the website alerts you that the information received and sent on that page is unprotected. It could be stolen or modified, or read by attackers.

However, the warning does not mean that your device or the website is attacked by viruses/malware. Here are the possible causes of this warning: 

– Using the HTTP Protocol

HTTP protocol is the foundation of data exchange on the Web. It was designed for communication between web servers and web browsers and web browsers, and it is the recipient who initiates the requests. You can use this protocol to fetch resources such as HTML documents. 

But it is incapable of offering a secure connection. So, a website with HTTP is highly exposed. What if I clicked on a not secure website with HTTP?  Since any website using HTTP is highly exposed, anyone monitoring the session can read all the requests and responses. Malicious individuals can steal or modify your sensitive information. 

A not secure website example is when you encounter HTTP:// instead of HTTPS:// before a domain name on the address bar. This will lead to a not secure prompt. 

– An Expired Let’s Encrypt Root Certificate

Millions of websites trust Let’s Encrypt, a free-to-use non-profit that gives certificates for encrypting connections between your computer and the internet. The root certificate that Let’s Encrypt uses has a specified expiration date. 

If you use an expired root certificate, you will likely receive an unsecured connection warning. In most cases, the system automatically switches over to the following chain. However, sometimes it might fail to cause the associated website to be inaccessible. 

– Incorrect Date and Time

If Chrome says not secure” but certificate is valid, you could be browsing with the wrong date and time. While browsing with the wrong time and date is possible, you will only be limited to unencrypted websites. 

All encrypted websites need the date on your device to be synchronized to the server as a security measure. This can be a massive issue if you visit e-sites as you cannot buy items or transact online. 

– Using an Outdated Google Chrome Version

The security certificate is not updated if you use an older Google Chrome version. As a result, it poses a security risk. Note that each Chrome version comes with a specific security certificate. 

The older version of Chrome may lack security patches or be invalid, making the server fail to make a secure connection. Furthermore, it might cause incompatibilities with the server’s requirements on your browser. 

– Mixed Content Errors

The mixed content error means having both HTTPS and HTTP content. An updated site to SSL, e.g., Let’s Encrypt move from HTTP to HTTPS. However, if there is any content specifying HTTP:// in their URLs instead of HTTPS://, the browser receives a mixed content caution and can block the content. 

– Missing SSL/TLS

If the website does not load securely even after inserting https in front of the domain, its SSL may not be activated. While this is a rare incidence, it can occur, and this makes your website insecure. When you try to access such a website, you will receive a not secure caution. 

How To Fix the Google Not Secure Prompt?

To fix the Google Not Secure prompt, you can start by improving the security of your system. You can perform a quick, secure website check to analyze the security status first. This will help you if you have an unsecured Google connection.

Here is how to fix not secure website in Chrome:

– Use HTTPS

The letter S in HTTPS is an acronym for “secure.” Therefore, HTTPS is more secure than HTTP. Typically, HTTPS uses SSL or TLS to encrypt HTTP requests and responses. So instead of an attacker seeing texts, they will see random characters. 

So change your website from HTTP to HTTPS. In WordPress sites, go to the Admin area and select settings. Go to General and update the URL and site address to HTTPS. 

TLS uses public key cryptography technology, which has Private and public keys. The server’s SSL certificate shares the public key with client devices. So, when a client opens a connection to the server, their devices use the public and private keys to agree on new keys (session keys) to encrypt further communications between them.

– Update SSL Certificate

If your SSL certificate is expired, renew it to eliminate the error warning. Remember, most SSL certificates have a 1 -2 year validity period. It is essential to renew the certificate a few days before it expires to avoid inconveniences for you and your website visitors. 

To renew the certificate, generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR), select and activate the certificate, and choose the validity period. You will enter the details to confirm domain ownership at this stage. This can be through email, HTTP validation, or DNS validation. 

Review the order, pay, and install the new certificate on the server. 

– Get Rid of Mixed Content

You may be dealing with mixed content when you see the letter i in a circle rather than a padlock, so you will need to find all http:// URLs and replace them with https://. You can fix the issues using the Really Simple SSL plugin for WordPress sites. This plugin will update the URLs and the mixed content within a short time.

For other websites, check if the URL is available over HTTPS. You must change http:// to https:// and browse the site. If an error message is displayed, the content is not available securely.

– Perform 301 Redirects of Your Site

You will need to first change HTTP to HTTPS by creating and configuring a .htaccess file that includes the required code for automatic redirection. You can make the file using the cPanel File Manager. But you can also create the file using a text editor app on your PC and upload it to your server.

Since you are changing the primary address from one location to another, performing a 301 redirect is the best way to prevent issues. Typically, it tells your site to redirect all HTTP traffic over HTTPS permanently. A 301 redirect transfers all ranking power from an old URL to a new one. 

– Update Chrome

Updating Chrome keeps your browsing secure, so getting the latest version is the best way to get a secure connection, as you will get the latest security features and fixes. To update Chrome, launch it, go to the More option at the top right, click Help, and go to About Chrome to update it.

You can also set the time and date to fix the issue.

Conclusion

We have reviewed the causes and fixes of the “not secure” warning on Google and answered the question “What happens if you visit an unsecure website?”

Here are the highlights:

• Checking if the site connection is secure before entering sensitive information is vital as it can be stolen by prying individuals.
• A site can be unsecured due to an expired or missing SSL or TLS certificate, an outdated Chrome browser, and mixed content.
• You can fix it by updating the SSL or TLS certificates and Chrome browser and forcing HTTPS to HTTPS.
• Also, make sure that your device has the correct date and time to synchronize with the server.

Now that you know the causes and fixes, you should be able to solve the issue when it pops up!