Thought this would be of interest to users using google crome
If you use Google Chrome as your web browser, in the next few weeks youâre
going to find that a lot of websites stop working for you.
Instead of seeing the site you want, youâll see a message telling you
that thereâs a problem with the siteâs security certificate.
These certificates are used by websites for two reasons: they allow your
browser to encrypt the data that is flowing between your computer and the web
server (the things you enter on a form, for example), and they allow your
browser to confirm that the web server belongs to the people itâs supposed
to.
When a website operator wants to run a secure site, they first have to
buy a certificate from a well-known provider.
All browsers have a list of these providers, and can use encryption
technology to verify whether a certificate has come from one of those
providers.
The system has worked well, but now Google have decided to stop
recognising certificates issued by security company Symantec. This doesnât
just affect Symantec though, it affects all companies that issue certificates
based on Symantecâs so-called root certificate.
More seriously, it affects all websites that use a certificate issued by
one of these companies, and means youâll see the security warning when you
visit.
This doesnât mean that the site is insecure, just that Google has
decided to stop trusting the certificate.
The reason for this is due to the way that Symantec have issued invalid
certificates, potentially giving hackers access to a certificate for the
Google.com domain in one case.
But just because Symantec have not been very careful with their
certificates, a lot of legitimate website operators are going to suffer.
Unless those website operators manage to get hold of replacement
certificates soon, users will not be able to access their sites in Chrome.
So, if you use Chrome and you come across a message telling you that
thereâs a problem with a siteâs certificate, try visiting the site in
Firefox or Edge until the problem gets sorted by the website operators.
Yours Sincerely,
Stefan Zasada,
Editor-in-Chief, Windows Secrets
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