Nov 09 2011

Enable TLS 1.1 on Windows 7

Here’s another quick tip for the security conscious people out there.

Windows 7 supports a security protocol called TLS (Transport Layer Security) which superseded SSL as the security protocol of choice. Specifically, Windows 7 supports up to TLS 1.1 but the support for this version is disabled by default which forces compatibility back down to TLS 1.0.

Unfortunately, TLS 1.0 is susceptible to an attack by BEAST (Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS) which basically allows acookie (the thing that proves your identity to a website after you have logged in) to be decrypted allowing bad guys to be able to login as someone else without the need for a username and password.

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser simply uses the abilities of the underlying Windows operating system in its ability to support a suite of encryption protocols including the older SSL protocols and the most recent TLS protocols. If you’re using Windows 7 you can easily enable TLS 1.1 and avoid this BEAST vulnerability by visiting this link at Microsoft Support and clicking on the “Fix it” link under the “Fix it solution for TLS 1.1 on Internet Explorer” section (just make sure you use the “Enable” version. This basically automates the required setting updates without you having the go through the registry or local policies to enable it.

It’s a quick and easy method to improve your browser security. Stay tuned for updates for the other browsers over the coming weeks.

Boydo

My name is Boyd and I’m a Service Management Specialist with a knack for operational data gathering, transformation, analysis and reporting.

In 2012, I obtained my Masters of Science in Information Technology through the University of New South Wales @ The Australia Defence Force Academy (UNSW@ADFA).

I was also part of an online community known as the Panasonic Insider Crew in the capacity of “Insider Guru” for Panasonic Australia where I interacted with other tech enthusiasts and find out more about Panasonic's latest gadgets.

I love technology, gadgets, and the Internet and maintain a keen interest in these areas locally, nationally, and globally. I hope by sharing my views on these topics that people will receive an honest point of view from someone with a genuine interest in these topics.

I have also written and edited articles for Neowin - you can check out my articles over @ https://www.neowin.net/news/poster/boyd_chan

I hope you enjoy reading my blog!

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