Secure Sites

[Nathan]

After installing MS Anti spy ware I can't access any
secure sites. Comes up page not avalable!! Any ideas?

Nathan

 

[Engel]

Internet Explorer Cannot Connect to Secure Web Sites

Quite a number of people have been reporting problems
connecting to Secure Web sites (the ones that start with
https:// ). There are a number of possible causes, which
in turn have a number of suggested fixes.

You can test your ability to connect to SSL sites using
this SSL test site.

Check Firewall/Network Configuration

Make sure that the SSL port (port 443) is open on your
network/firewall (if you have any). There are many
different Firewall/Network products, so we can't give set-
by-step instructions. Check the documentation or help file
of the product you use.

Verify that Internet Explorer Is Using 128-Bit Encryption

To check:

In Internet Explorer, on the Help menu, click About
Internet Explorer
The level of encryption on your computer appears next to
the words Cipher Strength. Verify that the Cipher Strength
value appears as 128-bit

If the Cipher Strength is anything less then 128-bit,
download the Internet Explorer High Encryption Pack to
your computer's hard disk, and then install it.

Delete Temporary Internet Files

There's also a possibility of some corrupted files in your
Temporary Internet Files (TIF) storage. To clear these:

In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet
Options, and select the General tab
Under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Files, and
click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion

Configure Internet Explorer Security, Content, and
Advanced Settings

Configure Security settings for the Trusted sites zone in
Internet Explorer:

In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet
Options, and select the Security tab
Select Trusted sites, and then click Default Level
Add the secure Web site you are trying to access to the
Trusted sites zone. To do so, click Sites, type the
address (URL) of the site in the Add this Web site to the
zone box, click Add, click OK, and then click Apply

Clear the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) slate and
AutoComplete history:

In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet
Options, and select the Content tab
Under Certificates, click Clear SSL State
Click OK when you receive the message that the SSL cache
was successfully cleared
Under Personal information, click AutoComplete
Under Clear AutoComplete history, click Clear Forms. Click
OK when you are prompted to confirm the operation.

Verify that Internet Explorer is configured to use SSL 2.0
and SSL 3.0:

In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet
Options, and select the Advanced tab
In the Settings box, under the Security header, click to
select the Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL 3.0 check boxes (if
they are not already selected), and then click OK

Verify that the Date and Time Settings on Your Computer
Are Correct

Because SSL certificates have an expiry date, if the date
on your computer isn't correct, it may prevent you from
connecting to secure sites. To verify that your computer
is configured with the correct date and time settings:

Click Start > click Control Panel
Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options, and then
click Date and Time
Select the Date & Time tab
Check to make sure that the date and time settings are
configured to use the current date and time, and then
click OK

Some Microsoft Knowledge Base Articles dealing with this
problem

232012 - Error Message When You Attempt to Install 128-
Bit Upgrade
261328 - Cipher Strength Appears as 0-Bit in Internet
Explorer
301803 - Error Message When You Try to Connect to Secure
Site: Client Certificate Has Expired or Is Not Yet Valid
303807 - "The Page Cannot Be Displayed" Error Message
When You Try to View Web Page on a Secure Web Site
305217 - Page Cannot Be Displayed Error During SSL 3.0
Server Session Timeout
811383 - Internet Explorer Connectivity and Certificate
Display Issues
813951 - You Cannot Access Your MSN E-mail Account or
Authenticate with a Web Site in Various Programs
821814 - You Receive a "Page Cannot Be Displayed" Error
Message When You Post to a Site That

Disclaimer: the above is my personal opinion and is not
the opinion of my employer, my wife, or the hundreds of
little green men that have been following me all day.

 

[Engel]

Some Microsoft Knowledge Base Articles dealing with this
problem
232012 - Error Message When You Attempt to Install 128-
Bit Upgrade
261328 - Cipher Strength Appears as 0-Bit in Internet
Explorer
301803 - Error Message When You Try to Connect to Secure
Site: Client Certificate Has Expired or Is Not Yet Valid
303807 - "The Page Cannot Be Displayed" Error Message
When You Try to View Web Page on a Secure Web Site
305217 - Page Cannot Be Displayed Error During SSL 3.0
Server Session Timeout
811383 - Internet Explorer Connectivity and Certificate
Display Issues
813951 - You Cannot Access Your MSN E-mail Account or
Authenticate with a Web Site in Various Programs
821814 - You Receive a "Page Cannot Be Displayed" Error
Message When You Post to a Site That Requires
Authentication