Updates to Security Upgrades That May Affect All Users

On 17 April 2018, we will be making changes to our security settings for all web properties that may affect your ability to utilize our services. On this date, we will be disabling insecure protocols prior to TLS version 1.2 and upgrading our security certificates. If you do not update your web browser, your connectivity to our services may be impacted negatively.

TLS, or Transport Layer Security, is a security connectivity standard developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force that helps minimize risk to information theft when that information is carried over insecure networks. This connectivity standard is implemented seamlessly behind the scenes in the many services we consume on the internet such as banks, shopping, and healthcare websites. Over time, as computing technologies become faster, certain aspects of these connectivity standards become less effective at protecting your information.

Vulnerabilities were found in previous versions of the protocols that form the foundation of these security connectivity standards (TLS v1.0 and TLS v1.1). These vulnerabilities led to an industry-wide decision to deprecate support for these older protocols. Further, The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards organization (PCIDSS) of which Birkman International maintains a compliance certification now mandates the removal of support for these insecure protocols.

For most people, browser upgrades are handled automatically by your system or browser vendor, and if you are applying these updates regularly you will not have problems continuing to use Birkman's services. Some in enterprise IT environments may need to enlist the support of an IT member to ensure your browser and system are updated to ensure continued use of Birkman services. If in doubt, please contact your IT support professional for more information.