Experts are warning that millions of people may be cut off from the internet very soon, including users of Windows laptops and older iPhones and Android phones.
No, it isn’t the Millennium Bug 2.0. But this could well be a wide web-block as a result of a change in HTTPS security protocol.
It’s being reported in the UK that on September 30, a root certificate that encrypts connections between devices and the web will expire. After that northern hemisphere date, devices and browsers won’t trust certain certificates.
Most users should be fine. But if you’ve got an older device that hasn’t been updated and won’t be entitled to use the new certificate, you might lose internet access. So read this quickly…
iPhone users with an update older than iOS 10 might be in trouble. Android users, make sure you’re not on version 7.1.1. Windows users shouldn’t run anything lower than XP SP3. Mac users, don’t run anything below 10.12.1.
There might also be trouble for Kindles running a patch below v3.4.1 and PS4 consoles running firmware 5.00 or prior.
It’s probably not time to start stockpiling toilet paper and canned goods again, but you have been warned.
