# Clicked on link, received warning **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 2, 2017, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicked-on-link-received-warning/797788 "2017-10-02T02:50:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicked-on-link-received-warning/797788/1 "2017-10-02T02:50:36Z")
I posted this in [another thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=837207): > [@Allowing plug-ins, OSX 10.11.6, Safari 11.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allowing-plug-ins-osx-10-11-6-safari-11-0/797225/11): > > I clicked on the SDMB link in the OP of [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=837779), and received a warning: > > **This Connection Is Not Private** > > The website may be impersonating “[boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com)” to steal your personal or financial information. You should close this page. > > Clicking on ‘Show details’, it says the certificate is issued to \*.cloudfront[dot]net, that it expires 17 December, 2017, and This certificate is not valid (host name mismatch). Organisation (under Details) is amazon[dot]com. > > Could this be an effect of turning Flash Player on? Or is it something else? I just did a google search, on this domain and “this link”. When I click on SDMB links in those threads, either hotlinked or in the clear, the page comes up. When I click on the link in the OP of the [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=837779) referenced in the quote, I get the warning. Anyone know why? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicked-on-link-received-warning/797788/2 "2017-10-02T02:52:44Z")
The link has https:// instead of http:// - if you take off the “s” the link works properly. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicked-on-link-received-warning/797788/3 "2017-10-02T03:22:01Z")
I thought you mean a _moderator_ warning…how the hey do you get that from clicking on a link? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicked-on-link-received-warning/797788/4 "2017-10-02T09:02:38Z")
We don’t use https here. I fixed the link in that thread so that it goes to http instead of https. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicked-on-link-received-warning/797788/5 "2017-10-02T11:03:33Z")
> [@](#): > > I thought you mean a moderator warning…how the hey do you get that from clicking on a link? Ve haff our vays… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicked-on-link-received-warning/797788/6 "2017-10-02T11:03:18Z")
> [@](#): > > I thought you mean a moderator warning…how the hey do you get that from clicking on a link? Ve haff our vays… ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clicked-on-link-received-warning/797788/7 "2017-10-02T15:10:00Z")
And if you click on any link to that infamous paper towel tube thread – you know, the one that started it all – you get auto-insta-banned. Since them as do that are no longer around to warn everyone else, very few people know about this.