An engineer notices that many websites prompt users to input login and payment details. The engineer wants to require the browser to encrypt…

Enabling HTTPS-Only Mode in a web browser forces all connections to use the HTTPS protocol. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) uses TLS/SSL to encrypt the data transmitted between the user's browser and the web server. This encryption protects sensitive information, such as login credentials and payment details, from being intercepted and read by unauthorized parties in a man-in-the-middle attack. This directly addresses the engineer's requirement to encrypt communications for data protection.

A. Disabling all cookies affects website functionality and user tracking but does not enforce encryption of the communication channel itself.

B. Disabling JavaScript prevents client-side scripts from running, which can mitigate certain attacks but does not encrypt the data in transit.

C. Enabling a pop-up blocker enhances user experience and blocks potential malicious advertisements but is unrelated to data encryption during transmission.

1. Mozilla Foundation. (n.d.). HTTPS-Only Mode in Firefox. Mozilla Support. Retrieved from https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/https-only-mode-firefox. (See section: "What is HTTPS-Only Mode?")

2. Google. (n.d.). Manage Chrome safety and security. Google Chrome Help. Retrieved from https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95617. (See section: "Always use secure connections")

3. Kurose, J. F., & Ross, K. W. (2021). Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach (8th ed.). Pearson. (Chapter 8.3, "Securing TCP Connections: SSL," describes the principles of SSL/TLS which HTTPS uses for encryption).