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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteHTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) tells browsers to use HTTPS for a domain and to reject insecure access for a defined period. Enable it by returning a Strict-Transport-Security header from the HTTPS endpoint, then expand coverage gradually after testing certificates, redirects, subdomains, APIs, and administrative paths.
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What HSTS does
HSTS is a browser-enforced policy delivered in the Strict-Transport-Security HTTP response header. Once a browser receives that header over HTTPS, it records the policy for the host for the stated max-age. During that period, the browser automatically upgrades later attempts to use an HTTP URL to HTTPS.
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HSTS also removes the usual “continue anyway” path for certificate warnings on an HSTS host. If the certificate is expired, mismatched, untrusted, or otherwise invalid, the browser blocks the connection instead of allowing a user to bypass the warning. That behavior is a security benefit, but it makes certificate and renewal failures operationally serious.
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HSTS is defined by RFC 6797, published by the IETF in November 2012. Modern browser documentation, including MDN Web Docs, describes the same central rule: the host must send the policy over HTTPS, not over insecure HTTP.
The header you need
A baseline policy is a single response header:
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000max-age is measured in seconds. The value 31536000 represents one year. The browser refreshes the remembered expiry whenever it receives a valid HSTS header from the HTTPS host.
includeSubDomains
Add includeSubDomains when every subdomain that could be affected is ready to serve HTTPS:
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomainsThis extends the policy from the named host to its subdomains. It can cover names that the main application team has forgotten, such as an old API endpoint, an administration site, a monitoring interface, a mail-related web service, or a vendor-managed hostname. Do not add it merely because the main site has a certificate; inventory and test every covered name first.
preload
preload is a non-standard signal associated with browser preload-list submission. It is not what turns on ordinary HSTS, and adding the word to a header does not by itself place a domain on a browser’s preload list.
MDN documents preload eligibility with a minimum max-age of 31536000 seconds and includeSubDomains. OWASP shows this common two-year example:
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains; preload63072000 seconds is two years. Preload should be considered only after checking the current submission requirements and accepting that removing a domain from browser lists is slower and less predictable than changing a live server header.
What HSTS protects—and what it does not
Protection against downgrade attempts
Without HSTS, a user can begin with an HTTP URL, and an attacker on the network may try to keep the connection on HTTP or interfere with the redirect to HTTPS. After HSTS is stored, the browser performs the upgrade itself, reducing that downgrade opportunity.
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No protection before the policy is learned
A browser cannot learn HSTS from an insecure HTTP response. The first visit is therefore different from later visits: the browser must successfully receive the header over HTTPS before it can enforce the policy for that host. Preloading is intended to cover the before-first-visit gap for domains that meet the preload requirements.
HSTS is not a replacement for TLS configuration
HSTS does not issue certificates, repair an incomplete certificate chain, encrypt an HTTP service by itself, or convert an application that only listens for HTTP. HTTPS must already work on every host you intend to cover. Redirects, certificate renewals, application assets, APIs, and alternate HTTPS ports must remain functional after enforcement.
HSTS is not a universal browser setting
The policy is stored by each browser for the host that delivered it. A header missing from a later response does not immediately erase a policy already stored in a browser; the previous policy remains until its remembered period expires or the host receives an HTTPS response with max-age=0. Policies for subdomains can be stored independently, so clearing the parent host does not necessarily clear every subdomain policy.
Prepare before enabling HSTS
Use this inventory before sending a long-lived policy:
- Canonical host: Confirm that the public hostname serves HTTPS with a valid certificate and a complete certificate chain.
- Redirects: Test HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects and ensure the final HTTPS URL is the intended canonical address.
- Subdomains: List every current and legacy subdomain before considering
includeSubDomains. Include names owned by other teams or providers. - Application assets: Check scripts, stylesheets, images, fonts, embedded content, web sockets, and API calls for HTTP dependencies.
- Operational paths: Test sign-in, administration, health checks, deployment hooks, background jobs, callbacks, and documentation links.
- Certificates and renewals: Verify that certificates cover every intended hostname and that automated renewal can complete before expiry.
- Traffic layers: Identify where TLS terminates: the application, web server, reverse proxy, load balancer, or CDN. The component that sends the public HTTPS response must add the header.
- Non-standard ports: Test HTTPS services on every port users and integrations actually use. HSTS handling across ports follows browser rules, so do not assume that testing only port 443 covers the estate.
How to enable HSTS safely
1. Make HTTPS reliable first
Install valid certificates, serve the complete chain, verify hostname coverage, and confirm that the HTTPS application works without mixed-content failures. Resolve redirect loops and hard-coded HTTP links before enforcing a browser policy.
2. Add the header only to HTTPS responses
Configure the layer that terminates TLS to return the header. Browsers intentionally ignore HSTS delivered over HTTP, so adding it only to an HTTP virtual host does not enable protection. If a proxy terminates TLS and forwards plain HTTP to the origin, configure the proxy’s public response path or ensure the origin’s header survives the proxy.
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For an estate that has not been fully inventoried, start with the main HTTPS host and a deliberately short testing max-age, without includeSubDomains. This gives you a controlled window to exercise real traffic while avoiding an immediate commitment for forgotten subdomains.
4. Exercise real and unusual paths
Use normal browser navigation and automated checks to test the canonical host, HTTP redirects, login and administration pages, APIs, health checks, callback URLs, alternate HTTPS ports, certificate chains, and every hostname that may later fall under the policy. Test from more than one browser profile so that a previously cached policy does not hide a deployment mistake.
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5. Increase the duration after the test is stable
Once the HTTPS deployment has remained reliable, raise max-age to a long-lived value. A common baseline is one year:
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000Changing the value on the server does not instantly change every browser’s state; each browser updates its own expiry when it receives a new HTTPS response.
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When all intended subdomains have working HTTPS, certificates, redirects, and application compatibility, change the header to include them:
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomainsIf even one covered hostname still needs HTTP, adding this directive can make that service unreachable to users whose browsers have learned the parent policy.
7. Treat preload as a separate commitment
Preload only after the live policy is stable, all subdomains support HTTPS, and the domain satisfies the current preload service requirements. The two-year OWASP example is:
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains; preloadSubmit through the current preload process only when the owner accepts the operational commitment. Browsers can enforce a preloaded domain before receiving a live header, so a later server-side rollback cannot immediately restore HTTP access for every user.
Where to configure HSTS
Application, web server, proxy, or CDN
HSTS is an HTTP response header, so the syntax is conceptually the same wherever it is configured. The practical setting differs by product. Application frameworks, Apache, Nginx, load balancers, reverse proxies, and CDNs provide their own response-header mechanisms. Configure the component that produces the response visible to the browser, then verify the header from the public hostname rather than only from an internal origin.
Be careful when more than one layer adds the header. A proxy may overwrite an origin value, or an origin may emit a policy that a CDN does not pass through. Inspect the final response at the edge and make one layer authoritative for the value.
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IIS
Microsoft documents HSTS as a site-level IIS setting with a one-year (31536000) max-age and an includeSubDomains option. In the IIS site configuration, enable HSTS for the HTTPS site, set the required max-age, and leave the subdomain option off until the complete hostname inventory has passed testing. Microsoft also cautions about enabling that option in relation to preload-list submission, so do not treat the checkbox as an automatic preload decision.
After saving the IIS setting, request the public HTTPS URL and inspect the response. If IIS is behind a reverse proxy or CDN, inspect the response at that outer layer as well; the browser sees the outermost response.
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Verify that the policy is active
Inspect an actual HTTPS response
Use browser developer tools or an HTTP header command against the public HTTPS URL. For example:
curl -sSI https://your-domain.example/Confirm that the response contains exactly the directive you intended, such as Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000. Follow redirects when testing the final destination, and inspect responses from the canonical host and every hostname included by includeSubDomains.
Test the browser’s behavior
- Enter an HTTP URL for the protected host and confirm that the browser upgrades it to HTTPS.
- Try the HTTPS host with a deliberately invalid certificate in a controlled test environment and confirm that an HSTS-aware browser does not offer a bypass.
- Check an HTTP redirect chain and verify that the final HTTPS page, scripts, styles, images, and API calls all load.
- Test administrative and machine-to-machine endpoints, not only the public home page.
- Repeat checks on subdomains and alternate ports that could be covered by the policy.
Distinguish a missing header from an expired policy
If the header disappears from the server, a browser that already learned it may continue upgrading requests until its old max-age expires. Conversely, seeing a header on one response does not prove that every edge, redirect target, or subdomain sends the same value. Verify each public response path independently.
Choosing a rollout level
| Rollout level | Example header | Scope and commitment | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host-only baseline | max-age=31536000 |
One host, remembered for one year | The host’s HTTPS service is reliable and subdomains still require separate review |
| Subdomain policy | max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains |
The host and its subdomains, remembered for one year | Every covered subdomain has working HTTPS, certificates, redirects, and compatible services |
| Preload-oriented policy | max-age=63072000; includeSubDomains; preload |
The host and subdomains, remembered for two years, with a preload-list signal | The domain meets current preload requirements and the owner accepts difficult reversal |
| Expiration request | max-age=0 |
Expires the host policy when delivered over HTTPS | Rolling back a live policy on that host; independently stored subdomain policies still require attention |
The table describes policy values, not a substitute for testing. A one-year value is not safer than a short test value if an untested subdomain is about to be included, and preload is not required for ordinary HSTS protection.
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How to disable or roll back HSTS
Expire the host policy over HTTPS
Return this response header from the affected HTTPS host:
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=0Browsers process the expiration instruction only over HTTPS. Sending it over HTTP cannot disable HSTS, because browsers ignore HSTS headers delivered through an insecure connection.
Keep the old policy in mind
Rollback is not instantaneous for every browser. A browser that has not yet received the max-age=0 response continues enforcing the previously stored policy until that policy expires. A missing header is therefore not an emergency off switch.
Clear subdomain policies separately
Subdomain policies may have been learned independently or through a parent policy. If a failure involves a subdomain, serve the expiration response from that subdomain over HTTPS as well. Clearing the parent host alone does not guarantee that every separately stored subdomain policy has disappeared.
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Preloaded domains need an additional process
If the domain has been placed on a browser preload list, changing the live header or returning max-age=0 does not immediately remove the preloaded rule from users’ browsers. Follow the current preload service’s removal process and plan for browser release and cache delays. This is why preload should be treated as a long-term operational commitment rather than a quick configuration toggle.
Common failure modes and fixes
The header appears on HTTP but browsers do not enforce it
This is expected behavior. Move the header to the HTTPS response path. Confirm it on the final public HTTPS response after redirects and through any proxy or CDN.
The main site works but a subdomain is blocked
The parent policy probably includes includeSubDomains, and the subdomain is missing valid HTTPS, a complete certificate chain, or a compatible application. Either repair that hostname before continuing or remove the subdomain directive from future responses and wait for previously stored policies to expire. For an immediate host-level rollback, return max-age=0 over HTTPS on each affected host.
Users report certificate errors after HSTS is enabled
HSTS prevents bypassing certificate warnings; it does not cause the certificate defect. Check hostname coverage, expiration, intermediate certificates, renewal automation, and which layer terminates TLS. Correct the certificate and verify the public response path rather than instructing users to bypass the warning.
The header is configured at the origin but missing at the browser
Inspect the load balancer, reverse proxy, or CDN. The outer layer may remove or replace response headers. Configure HSTS where public TLS terminates or explicitly pass the header through, then test from the public hostname.
Rollback appears not to work
Check that max-age=0 is delivered over HTTPS, that the response reaches the affected host, and that the browser has actually received it. Remember that old policies persist until refreshed or expired, and that a preload-list entry requires its own removal process.
Practical deployment checklist
- HTTPS works on the canonical host with a valid, complete certificate chain.
- HTTP redirects reach the intended HTTPS URL without loops.
- The header is present on the public HTTPS response, not merely on an internal origin response.
- The initial rollout uses host-only scope if the subdomain estate is not fully known.
- Application assets, APIs, administration paths, callbacks, health checks, and alternate ports have been tested.
includeSubDomainsis enabled only after every covered hostname is ready.- Preload is considered only after the live policy is stable and current eligibility requirements are satisfied.
- Certificate renewal and incident-response procedures account for browsers’ refusal to bypass HSTS certificate errors.
- Rollback plans use
max-age=0over HTTPS and include separately stored subdomain policies.
Key points to remember
HSTS is a response-header policy that tells browsers to use HTTPS for future requests to a host. Browsers learn it only from HTTPS responses. max-age controls how long the policy is remembered, includeSubDomains expands its scope, and preload adds a separate browser-list commitment. Roll out in stages, verify every public response path and covered hostname, and treat certificate maintenance as part of HSTS operations.
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