How to Get Back the Green Lock Icon on Firefox
For Firefox users, the new version of the web browser displays a gray padlock icon instead of the green padlock previously used for secure HTTPS sites.
We will explain why this happened and how you can recover the green lock icon on Firefox. Since the browser is available on all major desktop platforms, you can try it on Windows, MacOS, and even Linux.
Why did Firefox replace the green lock icon?
The most recent versions of the Mozilla Firefox 70 web browser version come with security and privacy updates in the URL bar. This change is visible in the gray padlock icon that has replaced the previous green padlock in the address bar.
Mozilla believes that there is a continuing prevalence of privacy threats on the Internet.
Although it was a small change in color, most users were used to the green padlock more visible, but the Mozilla developers team proposed to restore the latter for secure sites.
Mozilla believes that threats to privacy on the Internet are becoming more common, which is why they have incorporated new technologies to protect their users from monitoring.
The updated user interface is no longer a way to identify the security of Web sites, but what they say is "a step towards secure HTTPS protocol processing as the default means of transport for sites Web ", with a focus on user privacy.
What are the different lock icons?
Traditionally, a secure site, which means that any website delivered via secure transport mechanisms, had a green lock icon in the Firefox address bar.
All other sites delivered by unsecured means only carried the information icon but no additional security indicator.
In Firefox 70, some of the changes are to display different color padlock icons, some simple, others with a line or warning sign, and their meaning is different.
For unsecure login pages, a strikethrough icon appears as a permanent indicator of sites provided via unsecure protocols.
The initial green lock icon has been replaced with a gray icon highlighting unsecured or broken connections, rather than the default (secure) connection.
The information icon has also been removed, which means that the lock icon contains the identity and security information relating to a website. This information includes the fact that the site is encrypted or its owner, as well as their location. You can avoid malicious sites that try to steal your sensitive or personal data.
In rare cases, you may see a gray padlock with a red strike or a yellow warning triangle.
The padlock in red indicates a partially encrypted connection between the website and Firefox, which does not prevent indiscrete attacks or eavesdropping.
If you see a gray padlock with a yellow warning triangle next to it, the connection between the site and Firefox is also partially encrypted and does not prevent listening. It also means that the site certificate is self-signed or does not come from a trusted authority.
How to restore the old green lock icon in Firefox
The Mozilla developer team has not removed the option to restore the green lock icon, after replacing it with a gray icon, so you can recover it by following a few steps.
There are built-in configuration options that you can use and the change will be applied immediately without having to restart your browser.
Step 1: In the Firefox address bar, open a new tab and type about: config in the address bar. A warning screen indicating that the action you are about to cancel can void your warranty. Confirm that you are sure of what you are doing by clicking on the blue "I accept the risks" button.
2nd step: At the top, type security.secure_connection_icon_color_gray in the search field.
Step 3: In the new window, under Value, change from TRUE to FALSE. To do this, right-click TRUE and select Toggle. He will instantly change to FALSE.
Return to the address bar and you will notice that all HTTPS sites or those using secure connections will now have a green padlock icon displayed again.
To restore the gray padlock icon, repeat the steps but return to TRUE.
How to display unsecured for non-HTTPS sites
If you prefer Firefox to display "Not secure" for sites that do not use HTTPS instead of only showing a locked padlock icon, you can add this text to the address bar by proceeding as following.
Step 1: Open a new tab and type about: config in the address bar. In the search bar, type security.insecure_connection_text.enable to display the correct setting.
2nd step: Under Value, set the FALSE preference to TRUE to enable the "unsafe" text. To do this, right-click the value and select Toggle. You can disable it again by repeating these steps.
Note: You can also do this for private browsing connections. You have to type security.insecure_connection_text.pbmode.enabled in the search bar and set the value accordingly.
Give me the green light
We hope you now know how to retrieve the green padlock icon on the address bar of your Firefox browser. We do not know how long it will last. It is therefore best to get used to seeing the gray icon to distinguish between unsecured sites and secure sites.
Then: Tired of using extensions to block websites and trackers? Our next article will show you how to block such annoyances and other inconveniences such as cryptomers or fingerprint thieves without extensions.