Letter about Paypal TLS Encryption Protocol

[DimiMylez14]

Hey there!

I just received a letter in the mail about having an out of date encryption protocol. I currently use Firefox with the most up-to-date systems. It has told me that I have until June 30th to comply and update my encryption protocol, or I will be unable to access my account, or process any transactions. I am not a huge computer nut, and I might need a little help understanding what this means.

It also tells me that "if my website is hosted by a third party, work with my web-hosting company or e-commerce software provider. Otherwise, please contact your in-house web programmer or system administrator to make these updates", what website? I use Google as my main search engine. I'm totally lost on that front.

I have no idea what I'm really doing, and I just don't wanna lose my account. Could someone please assist me?

[Anonymous_User · Accepted solution]

Basically you received a generic notice - PayPal is simply trying to help their customers however, the info you received is more general in nature.  Bottom line, per the info you posted, all you need to concerned about is that your web browser is up to date and it sounds like it is.   The update referenced is web wide, it's not just PayPal.    If your web browser is not current, it may affect you when visiting sites across the internet as you may be unable to view a site.   But again, the solution is simple and easy - ensure your web browser is current.

Here's some details that were gathered from the internet:

Many web based services including PayPal are or have been updating their site security Transport Layer Security – or TLS – from TLS 1.0 to TLS 1.1.   The Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a cryptographic protocol used to establish a secure communications channel between two systems.    It is used to authenticate one or both systems, and protect the confidentiality and integrity of information that passes between systems including things as email, Internet faxing, and other data transfers.   To ensure the security of your personal information, your web browser also needs to be compatible with the new protocol. Browsers that don’t support TLS v1.1 or v1.2 will not be able to view any site that has upgraded to TLS 1.1.

The following browsers support the security changes and no action is required on your part:

    Internet Explorer 11 (Desktop & Mobile)
    Internet Explorer 8,9,10 (Desktop – Compatible but not enabled by default)
    Firefox 27 and higher
    Google Chrome 38 and higher
    Google Android 5.0 and higher
    Safari 7 on OSX 10.9 (Mavericks) Desktop and higher
    Safari 5 on iOS 5 Mobile and higher
    Edge

The following operating systems are not compatible with TLS 1.1 or higher and it's recommended that you upgrade your operating system to a supported system:

    Windows XP
    Windows Vista
    Server 2008
    Server 2003


Notes:
* If you're currently using Internet Explorer 7 or earlier – You must upgrade your browser
* If you're currently using Google Chrome – You must have have Windows 7 or a newer operating system
* If you're currently using Firefox version 26 or earlier – You must have Windows XP Service Pack 2 or newer
* If you're currently using Safari – versions older than 7 on OSX 1.9 (Mavericks) – TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 are not supported, so you must use Google Chrome for MAC

[DimiMylez14]

Dear Greengear,

Thank you so much for assisting me! I also contacted a pal of mine who is in System Administration and he helped me understand. This further helps me so that I can know going forward! Thank you for all your help!

Cheers!