Updated Timeline as of Mar 2023: When establishing a secure HTTPS connection with a server, a browser must validate that the certificate sent by the server is valid — that is to say, that: In the past, Chromium running on Windows delegated this validation task to APIs in the operating system, layering a minimal setContinue reading “TLS Certificate Verification Changes in Edge”
Tag Archives: tls
A bit of GREASE keeps the web moving
For the first few years of the web, developers pretty much coded whatever they thought was cool and shipped it. Specifications, if written at all, were an afterthought. Then, for the next two decades, spec authors drafted increasingly elaborate specifications with optional features and extensibility points meant to be used to enable future work. Unfortunately,Continue reading “A bit of GREASE keeps the web moving”
Client Certificate Authentication
While most HTTPS sites only authenticate the server (using a certificate sent by the website), HTTPS also supports a mutual authentication mode, whereby the client supplies a certificate that authenticates the visiting user’s identity. Such a certificate might be stored on a SmartCard, or used as a part of an OS identity feature like WindowsContinue reading “Client Certificate Authentication”
“Can I… in the new Edge?” (Un-FAQ)
This post is intended to collect a random set of questions I’ve been asked multiple times about the new Chromium-based Edge. I’ll add to it over time. I wouldn’t call this a FAQ because these questions, while repeated, are not frequently asked. Last Update: March 10, 2023 Can I get a list of all supportedContinue reading ““Can I… in the new Edge?” (Un-FAQ)”
Disabling TLS/1.0 and TLS/1.1 in the new Edge Browser
UPDATE: Timelines in this post were updated in March 2020, October 2020, April 2021, and October 2021 to reflect the best available information. HTTPS traffic is encrypted and protected from snooping and modification by an underlying protocol called Transport Layer Security (TLS). Disabling outdated versions of the TLS security protocol will help move the webContinue reading “Disabling TLS/1.0 and TLS/1.1 in the new Edge Browser”
Spying on HTTPS
When I launched Chrome on Thursday, I saw something unexpected: While most users probably would have no idea what to make of this, I happened to know what it means– Chrome is warning me that the system configuration has instructed it to leak the secret keys it uses to encrypt and decrypt HTTPS traffic toContinue reading “Spying on HTTPS”
SSLVersionMin Policy returns to Chrome 66
Chrome 66, releasing to stable this week, again supports the SSLVersionMin policy that enables administrators to control the minimum version of TLS that Chrome is willing to negotiate with a server. If this policy is in effect and configured to permit, say, only TLS/1.2+ connections, attempting to connect to a site that only supports TLS/1.0Continue reading “SSLVersionMin Policy returns to Chrome 66”
Understanding the Limitations of HTTPS
A colleague recently forwarded me an article about the hazards of browsing on public WiFi with the question: “Doesn’t HTTPS fix this?” And the answer is, “Yes, generally.” As with most interesting questions, however, the complete answer is a bit more complicated. HTTPS is a powerful technology for helping secure the web; all websites should beContinue reading “Understanding the Limitations of HTTPS”
TLS Fallbacks are Dead
Just over 5 years ago, I wrote a blog post titled “Misbehaving HTTPS Servers Impair TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2.” In that post, I noted that enabling versions 1.1 and 1.2 of the TLS protocol in IE would cause some sites to load more slowly, or fail to load at all. Sites that failed toContinue reading “TLS Fallbacks are Dead”
Certificates Matter
Recently, my web host stopped supporting the FrontPage Server Extensions used by Microsoft Expression Web 4 for website publishing (FPSE is now out-of-support). FPSE allowed me to publish to my site over a HTTPS connection, helping keep my password safe and my uploaded files unmodified. Unfortunately, the alternative FTP transport is completely insecure–passwords and dataContinue reading “Certificates Matter”
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