Why You Should Upgrade to Chrome 68 Right Now

By Monica Chin
published

Chrome 68 will begin labeling all HTTP sites as 'not secure,' and sites you navigate to with this prefix will show a Not Secure warning.

The newest version of Google Chrome is here, and it's a big deal for your security. In a blog post, the company announced that its update will come with several new features designed to improve the safety of your browsing. 

Credit: Shutterstock

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Most importantly, Chrome 68 will begin labeling all "HTTP" sites as "not secure." That means any site you navigate to with this prefix will show a "Not Secure" warning, and some may even bar your access.

MORE: Google Reinvents Chrome with Big Update: How to Try It

This is the final step in Google's several-year journey to push sites to adopt the HTTPS prefix. Within the last year, the company has gradually been marking more "HTTP" sites as "not secure." 

Credit: Google

(Image credit: Google)

The browser also includes a new protection to defend users against iframe redirects.

Specifically, it will now be much harder for an HTTPS site to automatically redirect you to an HTTP site, even in a popup tab. Chrome will now ask you if you want to proceed to the new site before sending you there.

While most of today's popular websites have switched over to HTTPS, a few popular ones, including Wiki-hosting service Wikia, Fedex's website, Daily Mail, and Chinese news site and search engine Soku retain the old prefix (though this can vary by country). These websites will need to migrate their pages to HTTPS or lose a chunk of their traffic. 

Monica Chin

Monica Chin is a writer at The Verge, covering computers. Previously, she was a staff writer for Tom's Guide, where she wrote about everything from artificial intelligence to social media and the internet of things to. She had a particular focus on smart home, reviewing multiple devices. In her downtime, you can usually find her at poetry slams, attempting to exercise, or yelling at people on Twitter.

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • garycjones
    Don't do it! I went through the two-step verification process and now I can't get into my Outlook. I keep getting an error message about needing a specific password, but nothing works. What a disaster.
    Reply
  • fitcat27
    I have an 8 year-old Macbook Pro. No updates for Chrome for years. I'm using Snow Leopard 10.6.8. No updates for that either. ZERO problems. I'm not making a move. Thing runs like a Swiss watch.
    No hacked info, no viruses, no anything. Somebody explain to me how this can be. All the articles say I'm at *great risk*. Just lucky? lol
    Reply
  • bentongarrett
    21175340 said:
    I have an 8 year-old Macbook Pro. No updates for Chrome for years. I'm using Snow Leopard 10.6.8. No updates for that either. ZERO problems. I'm not making a move. Thing runs like a Swiss watch.
    No hacked info, no viruses, no anything. Somebody explain to me how this can be. All the articles say I'm at *great risk*. Just lucky? lol

    That is incredibly dumb. It's highly likely at least that your sensitive data has been compromised.

    Why would you still run Snow Leopard?
    Reply
  • bentongarrett
    21174339 said:
    Don't do it! I went through the two-step verification process and now I can't get into my Outlook. I keep getting an error message about needing a specific password, but nothing works. What a disaster.

    Outlook has nothing to do with this update.
    Reply