Privacy Error Nightmare
There is nothing wrong with your computer; it's the internet.
If you have seen a message like this (see below) on your Mac computer or smartphone, you may be a victim of the new security requirements for the internet. We call it the Privacy Error Nightmare. If you’ve visited a site for years and suddenly the images are no longer visible, your browser says, “Your connection is not private,“ your computer is no longer compliant with HSTS.
WHAT IS HSTS?
Well, we're glad you asked.
HSTS stands for HTTP Strict Transport Security; it's a web security policy mechanism that forces web browsers to interact with websites only via secure HTTPS connections (and never HTTP). This function helps to prevent protocol downgrade attacks and cookie hijacking.
On September 30, 2021, a worldwide protocol made all prior websites that used HTTP obsolete. For Mac users with computers older than 2017 and MANY smartphones, this new protocol turned many reliable pieces of technology into very expensive paperweights.
This new requirement caught many off guards, and for those who remember the Y2K chaos, the September 30 decision lived up to the hype. Well, sort of. For many, the complaint was that there was no actual announcement for this change. May users became highly frustrated on the last day of September due to many sites being either unavailable or completely invisible.
Millions of smart devices could stop working from September 30, 2021
A digital certificate that was widely used in electronic devices prior to 2017 will expire on September 30.
What can be done to fix this?
There are a few sites offering workarounds. Sites such as Let's Encrypt and VirtuallyWired but most of this information is highly advanced and confusing for the typical computer user. Many internet security experts suggest downloading Firefox Internet Browser, but even that's given or taken for many.
In addition to barely-there support to correct this, suggestions by "Green "experts is to throw away all of your technology and buy updated smartphones, computers, and tablets. For Mac users, and even more frustrating reality, any Mac product older than 2017 is completely un-usable with the internet, and the few that do work are experiencing limited features.
As more straightforward workarounds arise, we will keep you posted.
