I was trying to access an online novel site when Google gave me a warning about the site being not secure. When I pushed forward anyway, I saw that the https in the address bar was crossed out. And there's a "Not Secure" sign next to the https address. So what does that really mean? Is it really dangerous to just visit the site and read novels? I mean, I've never downloaded anything from the site before. It's just a place where I browse text novels (no images or vids).
It usually means that the certificate they're using to sign the HTTPS connection is either expired or not issued by a trusted (by your browser) authority. For reading novels, it's really not a big deal. But any kind of connection where you're sending something like a password or something could be read by a third party if your connection isn't encrypted, or even intercepted/impersonated. Imagine a fake banking site that intercepts your sign-in credentials, then drains your account. Or even a fake MMO sign-in site that steals your account there and then trades away all your stuff. So proceed with caution.
The padlock symbol is a way for sites to verify their trustworthiness through third parties. That it isn't secure means only that it isn't trusted by the third-party provider on your browser. Which can mean that they are dangerous but not always. As an example, there was an entire thing about those third party people boycotting Russian banks and government sites, making people unable to access them and the Russian govt had to issue their own certificates Were Russian banks dangerous? I doubt it. So, technically, it doesn't really mean that the site is a danger to you. Especially a reading one. But that was a very special case, so proceed with caution. (I recommend the related video by Mental Outlaw to find out more, you can find him on YouTube but you should find him on Odysee)
Ah okay, thanks for your answers! I think I should be alright then, since it's a text only story site (CN novels).
Chrome and other browser shows that warning because those websites can't prove their SSL certificate, which is used to encrypt your connection to websites' server (otherwise it can be intercepted in the middle to, say, inject ads or snooped for sensitive information). This caused by many reasons 1. the website doesn't have SSL certificate in the first place and can only accessed through HTTP://, not HTTPS:// 2. their SSL become invalid or expired 3. your ISP block connection to that said website This certificate isn't something you get after some organization check whether your website trustworthy or not - you can just simply buy it or even get it free and usually packed together when you buy a domain for your website.