More and more websites are looking to enable SSL encryption to protect their visitors from eavesdroppers and hackers. Now web infrastructure company CloudFlare will make it a bit easier by adding that feature to the free version of its hosting service.Revelations about government snooping and Google’s decision to prioritize sites with encryption turned on in its search results have given SSL a big push.However, cost and complexity have meant that before Monday fewer than 0.4 percent of websites were encrypted, according to CloudFlare. It aims to boost that with Universal SSL, which works regardless of budget or technical know-how, the company said. The 2 million sites that today use the free version of CloudFlare’s service will be the first that are able to take advantage of the feature.Having encryption may not seem important to a small blog, but it’s critical to advancing the “encrypted-by-default future” of the Internet, according to CloudFlare. Every byte that’s protected makes life more difficult for those who wish to intercept, throttle, or censor the web, the company said in a blog post on Monday. For sites that didn’t have SSL before, CloudFlare will use its Flexible SSL mode by default. That means traffic from browsers to CloudFlare will be encrypted, but traffic from CloudFlare to a site’s server will not. Site owners need to install a certificate on their web servers to encrypt that segment, as well. To help, CloudFlare will publish a blog post with instructions.A bonus with Universal SSL is that the feature is compatible with SPDY, a protocol used to speed up web traffic by minimizing latency. As with many free services there are some limitations compared to paid plans. The main one in this case is that Universal SSL only works with modern browsers, which excludes about 20 percent of web requests. To get support for all browsers, users need to sign up for CloudFlare Pro (which costs from $20 per month), Business or Enterprise.Send news tips and comments to mikael_ricknas@idg.com Related content news UK government plans 2,500 new tech recruits by 2025 with focus on cybersecurity New apprenticeships and talent programmes will support recruitment for in-demand roles such as cybersecurity technologists and software developers By Michael Hill Sep 29, 2023 4 mins Education Industry Education Industry Education Industry news UK data regulator orders end to spreadsheet FOI requests after serious data breaches The Information Commissioner’s Office says alternative approaches should be used to publish freedom of information data to mitigate risks to personal information By Michael Hill Sep 29, 2023 3 mins Government Cybercrime Data and Information Security feature Cybersecurity startups to watch for in 2023 These startups are jumping in where most established security vendors have yet to go. By CSO Staff Sep 29, 2023 19 mins CSO and CISO Security news analysis Companies are already feeling the pressure from upcoming US SEC cyber rules New Securities and Exchange Commission cyber incident reporting rules don't kick in until December, but experts say they highlight the need for greater collaboration between CISOs and the C-suite By Cynthia Brumfield Sep 28, 2023 6 mins Regulation Data Breach Financial Services Industry Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe