Website Access Issues - Security Message

Pilots,

Apparently some pilots have been experiencing a security message blocking access to our site. This apparently has to do with a security protocol, TLS 1.2, that is not the most secure that is currently available. There is no reason that browsers should be blocking our site for this reason. Upon searching on this issue, it appears most commonly caused - not by a browser itself, but by an included program that is installed on some systems called "Privacy Guard". Apparently a recent update to that program has resulted in this blocking message. I recommend uninstalling or disabling that program to again gain access to our site and other affected sites.

That said, I will remind pilots that - while we've made progress towards improving site security - and will continue to work towards that end, it's unlikely that we will ever reach the level of security that is required for sites that share financial or medical information.

For these reasons, it is always recommended that pilots use passwords and user ID's here at St. Paul Airlines that differ from those used on sites requiring advanced security.

Happy flying,

John

Hey John,

Not sure if this helps you out or not, but I don't have any program called "Privacy Guard" installed anywhere. Google Chrome is blocking access to our website but Microsoft Edge and Firefox are not. Is privacy guard part of Google Chrome by chance?

I've just installed the latest version of Windows 10 and am experiencing issues described by other pilots.

I'll be looking into this problem and will try to find a fix for it (either on the server end or some workaround for your browser).

John

My firefox browser works ok, but the Edge browser does not.

I'll check into this more tomorrow.

The issue is not necessarily related to the installation of program called Privacy Guard, but occurred when Windows 10 Update removed support for TLS below version 1.2. After I updated my system I too experienced this issue. Clicking the "Advanced" message on the security warning and clicking to allow access to the site worked, but there still appeared to be missing graphics on the pages.

I've refreshed my browser's cache and that cleared up the missing graphics.

This is still a less than desirable work-around.

Our provider will test upgrading to TLS 1.2, but unsure how it will affect our legacy system. This might cause some disruption of service if it has problems and needs to be changed back again.

I will keep you updated.

John<br /><br /><!-- editby --><br /><br /><em>edited by: jer029, Jul 21, 2020 - 07:58 AM</em><!-- end editby -->