As you\u2019re aware, the internet is moving rapidly towards universal encryption. The \u201chttp\u201d protocol you see at the front of URLs is being replaced by \u201chttps,\u201d which allows all data being transmitted to be secured with encryption. To aid in the proliferation of HTTPS, Google and the other browsers have incentivized it. Websites that add SSL and migrate to HTTPS have been given perks like small SEO boosts, access to advanced browser features and the promise of HTTP\/2.<\/p>\n
Google\u2019s decision to add this warning is a different approach that aims to accomplish the same thing: complete encryption.<\/p>\n
And one thing that interrupts complete encryption is HTTPS interception, sometimes called TLS interception.<\/p>\n
![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.thesslstore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/chrome-63-tls-interception-error.png\")
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Two Kinds of TLS Interception<\/h2>\n
For the sake of this discussion, we\u2019re going to divide TLS Interception into two main categories: Man-in-the-Middle attacks, which this alert will actively warn users about, and HTTPS Interception.<\/p>\n
A Man-in-the-Middle attack is where an attacker is able to position him or herself between a user and the server that user is communicating with. As the name suggests, the man-in-the-middle can intercept and inspect all data transmitted between the two parties it’s spying on. It can even manipulate that information if it wants to.<\/p>\n
SSL prevents a great number of MITM attacks just by virtue of adding encryption in the first place. But it is possible for an attacker to intercept the encryption and perform a MITM attack even when SSL is in place. Often times this sort of vulnerability occurs because of misconfiguration on the part of the site administrator, but it\u2019s a threat nonetheless. In many cases, an affected user may not even know that an attack has taken place beyond getting a few TLS errors during their browsing experience.<\/p>\n
Google\u2019s decision to add a TLS interception warning will help alleviate that by presenting users with an unpassable interstitial warning anytime interception is detected. It will flag whenever it notices an AV CA that is not in its trust store (h\/t to Patrick Figel<\/a> for this correction<\/em>).<\/p>\n Now let\u2019s talk about the other reason to intercept HTTPS traffic<\/a>. Technically, this category still constitutes MITM, but its aim is a little different. In this instance, you\u2019re intercepting HTTPS traffic to inspect it for security purposes.<\/p>\nThe Other Kind of HTTPS Interception<\/h2>\n