SSL Certificate Status — SiteSentinel

What This Check Measures

This check verifies whether the website uses HTTPS (HTTP Secure) encryption, which indicates that an SSL/TLS certificate is active and the connection between the user and server is encrypted.

Why It Matters

Data Privacy — HTTPS encrypts all data transmitted between the browser and server
Authentication — SSL certificates verify the website's identity
Integrity — Prevents man-in-the-middle attacks and data tampering
SEO Impact — Google ranks HTTPS sites higher in search results
Browser Trust — Modern browsers show "Not Secure" warnings for HTTP sites

How Data Is Obtained

Source File

src/checks/safety.check.js

Function

SafetyCheck.analyze(url)

Input

The full URL string passed to the analyzer

Detection Logic

// Simple URL protocol check
checks.push({
  name: 'SSL Certificate Status',
  status: url.startsWith('https://') ? 'pass' : 'fail',
  description: url.startsWith('https://') 
    ? 'HTTPS connection established' 
    : 'No HTTPS - unencrypted connection',
  severity: 'critical'
});

Libraries

No external libraries required — uses native JavaScript string methods

Status Values

Status	Condition	Meaning
pass	URL starts with `https://`	HTTPS is enabled. Data is encrypted in transit.
fail	URL starts with `http://`	No encryption. All data sent in plain text. Critical security risk.

Severity: Critical

This check has critical severity because:

HTTP connections expose all traffic to eavesdropping
Passwords, credit cards, and personal data can be intercepted
Users may unknowingly submit sensitive information over insecure connections
Modern browsers actively warn users about non-HTTPS sites

Impact on Category Score

As a critical severity check:

A pass contributes positively to the Safety & Threats score
A fail significantly reduces the category score
The calculateCategoryScore() function weights critical checks heavily

Limitations

What This Check Does NOT Verify

Certificate validity (expiration date)
Certificate chain integrity
Certificate authority trustworthiness
Cipher suite strength
TLS version (1.2 vs 1.3)

For deeper TLS analysis, see the Security Headers Agent which examines HSTS and other security headers.