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Main causes
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Secure Websites
Resolutions:17 |
Views:10868
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Sometimes application errors, windows updates or spyware infections can prevent Internet Explorer from accessing secure websites. This article describes the possible solutions to this problem.
What are secure websites?
Banking sites and webmail pages request that the comunication between you and them should be encrypted in order to prevent a 3rd party from intercepting private information. The information is encrypted using a special communication protocol called SSL (Secure Sockets Layer).
Here's how it works:
1. A special key is transmitted to your computer through a digital certificate. Such a certificate has to be bought from a certification authority like VeriSign and has an expiration date.
2. The computer uses the key to alter the data that is transmited to the secure site.
3. The secure site decripts this information using the shared key.
URL's that link to secure website are preceded by https:// . One more difference between normal traffic and SSL is the port of the webserver that you connect to: 443.
SSL points of failure
1. Security software like firewalls might be blocking access to port 443.
2. Network hardware like routers also have built in firewalls which might block access to 443.
3. The certificate used for encryption might be corrupt or outdated.
4. The Internet browser's ecryption settings are incorrect.
6. Windows components responsible for data encryption could be damaged.
Steps in troubleshooting
First you want to make sure it's not a security program causing this problem. The next slide will present a known bug in Norton Internet Security 2005 that prevents access to Secure websites.
Then we clean up Internet Explorer and make sure that the encryption settings are OK.
Next we make sure that the windows components responsible for encryption are functioning properly.
Finally if none of these fixes worked it's time to try a different browser. We recommend the best: Firefox.
If Firefox doesn't work either it's time to consider that might be a problem with your router/modem. If you are connected to a router bypass it and connect straight to your cable/DSL modem.
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Submitted by Paul Ionescu
Last modified 2006-05-21 | |
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