What HTTPS does · Cyber Behaviour Benchmark

The question, exactly as 3,832 people saw it

Which of the following statements is accurate regarding HTTP and HTTPS?

HTTPS encrypts the connection; HTTP does not. correct

50%

Neither HTTP nor HTTPS encrypts the connection.

17%

HTTP and HTTPS both encrypt the connection; HTTPS uses a stronger version.

17%

I do not know

17%

The full spread of answers, not just right and wrong. 17% chose "I do not know", which is a different group from the people who confidently picked a wrong answer: one needs teaching, the other needs correcting. Everyone answered in their own language; the English wording is shown here.

What a participant was told

The feedback shown after answering, verbatim:

HTTPS encrypts the connection between your device and the website; HTTP does not. Over HTTP, information such as login details or form data can be intercepted, especially on shared or public networks such as a café or airport. HTTPS protects the connection, not the honesty of the site: a scam site can show a padlock too.

The workgroup wrote these. Showing them beside the national result is how the questionnaire stays theirs.

Where it is weakest

Share who got it wrong, by group. Only groups with enough people and enough organisations appear.

Group	Answer wrong	People
Education sector	58%	329
Technology sector	55%	428
Other sector	55%	352
Public sector sector	52%	192
Professional services sector	51%	486
250 or more size	51%	1,886
Belgium, everyone	50%	3,832
Manufacturing sector	50%	488
10 to 49 size	50%	608
50 to 249 size	50%	1,251
Healthcare sector	49%	402
Just me size	47%	32
Financial services sector	46%	329
Insurance sector	45%	416
2 to 9 size	45%	55
Retail sector	43%	410

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