Google has permanently removed one of its most iconic icons, the famous padlock that appears before HTTPS encryption on its URLs. Chrome.
Although it was originally introduced to show that a website is using HTTPS encryption to encrypt links, the lock symbol is no longer needed as more than 99% of web pages are loaded via HTTPS in Google Chrome.
This includes websites used as landing pages for phishing attacks or other malicious purposes, designed to exploit the lock icon to trick targets into thinking they are safe from attack.
“This misunderstanding is harmless: almost all phishing sites use HTTPS and therefore display a lock icon,” Google said.
“Misunderstandings are very widespread, including in many organizations fbiPublish clear guidance that the lock icon is not an indicator of website security.”
The lock icon will be replaced in Chrome 117 with a “melody icon variant”, designed to show that the UI element is typically linked to app settings and is a clickable element.
“When HTTPS was rare, the lock icon drew attention to the additional protections HTTPS provided. Today, this is no longer true, and HTTPS is the norm, not the exception, and we’re building Chrome accordingly.” said Google.
“The new icon is scheduled to launch in Chrome 117, which will be released in September 2023 as part of an overall design refresh for desktop platforms.”
Those who want to change the lock icon can enable it in Chrome Canary by following the steps below.
- to enter chrome://flags In the address bar and press Enter.
- search ‘chrome-refresh-2023‘
- When the mark appearsChrome Update 2023«, Click»predetermined» and select «implemented«.
- Restart the browser when prompted to get the updated Chrome desktop UI.
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