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We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 11:32 pm
by crfriend
I am pleased to announce that the Skirt Cafe now supports encrypted access via the https:// access method. This will protect against snooping by less-than-state-level actors for your browsing and transmission of passwords.

Please change your bookmarks to use the "https://" prefix.

For those who are running older browsers, or cannot otherwise use the https:// method, the older http:// method is still supported and will remain so (at least until it gets deprecated). If you really, really, need to use the http:// method, connect to http://www.skirtcafe.org/forums/ rather than http://www.skirtcafe.org/ as the latter is now configured to redirect to the https:// method.

Questions, gripes, and other assorted observations to me via PM, or, if really in distress, the address near the top of the page.

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 1:31 am
by Fred in Skirts
crfriend wrote:I am pleased to announce that the Skirt Cafe now supports encrypted access via the https:// access method. This will protect against snooping by less-than-state-level actors for your browsing and transmission of passwords.

Please change your bookmarks to use the "https://" prefix.

For those who are running older browsers, or cannot otherwise use the https:// method, the older http:// method is still supported and will remain so (at least until it gets deprecated). If you really, really, need to use the http:// method, connect to http://www.skirtcafe.org/forums/ rather than http://www.skirtcafe.org/ as the latter is now configured to redirect to the https:// method.

Questions, gripes, and other assorted observations to me via PM, or, if really in distress, the address near the top of the page.
Just tried it and got a can not connect error. Tried several times and it would not connect.

Well back to the regular URL and of course it works.

Fred

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 3:45 am
by webboy42
heh That explains why jumping to visited links wasn't working with my screen reader, since this is my first visit after the change. Good to see.

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 4:19 am
by Uncle Al
Fred,

Manually type https://www.skirtcafe.org/forums
or go into the properties of your bookmark and add
the 's' after http in the bookmark address.

I know this link works as I tested it BEFORE posting this response.

Uncle Al
:mrgreen: :ugeek: :mrgreen:

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 4:28 am
by Fred in Skirts
It works on my lap top but not on the desk top boat anchor.. I guess the old BA is just too old for the new thing.. Although it will load other sites that are encrypted.

Fred :?

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 5:25 am
by Daryl
Fred in Skirts wrote:It works on my lap top but not on the desk top boat anchor.. I guess the old BA is just too old for the new thing.. Although it will load other sites that are encrypted.
Fred :?
Nah, "too old" is not likely. Clear some caches or cookies or sumpin' then reboot. If that doesn't work then try something else. :lol:

Added "s" to the end of "http" in my bookmarks. Working fine so far.

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 7:51 am
by r.m.anderson
It is very simple.

http://www.skirtcafe.org/forums/

Now replace that with:

https://www.skirtcafe.org/forums/

Bookmark it when it loads and start using it.

This works for me and I got my SkirtCafe for dummies certificate ver. 101

Of course if you are still using:

Windows 3.0
Windows for work groups 3.11
Windows 95
Windows 97
Windows 98
Windows Millennium
Windows Vista

Obviously YMMV in radical unpredictable ways !

Windows 7 works for me !

As for:
Windows 8
Windows 8.1
Windows 9 (something is really really screwed up beyond all reasonable expectations - ain't no such creature)
Windows 10 (if you are using this - open the darn real windows and throw your computer out with the trash)

I don't think I need to go into use of Commodore 64 or Texas Instruments formats.

But what do I know about -puters ?

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 11:56 am
by Sinned
Works for me too.

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 12:21 pm
by crfriend
Fred in Skirts wrote:It works on my lap top but not on the desk top boat anchor.. I guess the old BA is just too old for the new thing.. Although it will load other sites that are encrypted.
How "old" is the boat-anchor? What -- precisely -- does it emit in the way of errors.

The Skirt Cafe is using a reasonably new CA (Certificate Authority) that your older machine may not recognise. If it's not recognising the CA, then you'll either need to get a linking/chaining certificate or manually override the error.

If the browser on your boat-anchor is too old to support encryption -- or newer encryption methodologies -- then it's time to get a newer one. IE or some-such on something like XP?

Cost is the primary reason that encryption wasn't turned on for so long. Several years ago, the CA market was dominated by the Verisign monopoly which charged exorbitant amounts of money for certificates, made you renew them every year, and was a right royal pain-in-the-arse. The one we're using now is "Let's Encrypt", and whilst the certificates they issue need to be renewed every 60 days they don't cost anything and maintenance of them is -- in the case of Skirt Cafe -- automatic, and best, free. (It's not automatic for the web-server in my kitchen, but I can make it so reasonably easily (a different machine from a different era).)

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 6:44 pm
by Fred in Skirts
crfriend wrote:If the browser on your boat-anchor is too old to support encryption -- or newer encryption methodologies -- then it's time to get a newer one. IE or some-such on something like XP?
I am running WinDoze 2000 pro on the boat anchor. I am using the last version of FireFox that this machine will support. (IE is an abomination as far as I am concerned.) And replacing it is cost inhibitive at present. :(

I also need this machine to run some old DOS programs that I have no way of replacing as they never upgraded the programs to WinDoze. I use those old programs almost daily. I tried to get the laptop to run them even with some stuff that is supposed to run Dos on modern machines and they would not run. :evil:

The laptop which was a gift from my daughter runs WinDoze 10. With the latest version of FireFox for Win10.

I am not a computer geek and just barely understand how a light bulb works. :lol:

However as long as I don't need to have encryption to get in to SK, I will be fine and dandy using this old machine.

Fred

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 7:00 pm
by crfriend
Fred in Skirts wrote:I am running WinDoze 2000 pro on the boat anchor. I am using the last version of FireFox that this machine will support.
My condolences.

What version of Firefox? Versions >= 2.0 are said to work.

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 3:40 am
by Fred in Skirts
crfriend wrote:
Fred in Skirts wrote:I am running WinDoze 2000 pro on the boat anchor. I am using the last version of FireFox that this machine will support.
My condolences.

What version of Firefox? Versions >= 2.0 are said to work.
I am using ver 12.0 on the boat anchor. This was the last update that would work on my machine.

Fred

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 10:27 am
by crfriend
Fred in Skirts wrote:I am using ver 12.0 on the boat anchor. This was the last update that would work on my machine.
When was it last updated? The certificate for Let's Encrypt (dba "Internet Security Research Group"/ISRG) dates to 2014.

To see if the certificate is active, go to Preferences->Advanced->Certificates->Authorities and scroll down into the "I" range. You should see "ISRG Root X1" in there. If you don't you should be able to download and import it from letsencrypt.org.

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 5:53 pm
by Fred in Skirts
I think the last update was in 2005. When I ask it to check update it says it is up to date for this version.

Re: We now have encryption capability.

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2018 6:06 pm
by crfriend
Fred in Skirts wrote:I think the last update was in 2005. When I ask it to check update it says it is up to date for this version.
The version of the software is up to date, but the certificate-chaining data aren't. That's what's biting you. You should be able to load the chaining certificate from letsencrypt.org and import it into your browser.