Does our website look a little funny now? Images not appearing or other weird behavior?
It's not you, it's us! Let us explain and help get it working better than ever for you…
Internet security standards are always changing and our SmartPakers in IT are working hard to keep our systems and your customer information protected. There are three older methods of website security encryption that are now possible to be cracked by hackers in a matter of hours with recent advances in computing power.
Most web browsers have since moved to more modern methods of encryption that are much, much harder to crack. So, on June 5, 2017, we discontinued support on the SmartPak website for the three older methods, and if you're still using certain older browser versions, the SmartPak website may no longer work properly.
If our website no longer works properly for you, please don't give up on us! We highly encourage you to explore using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browsers. They're free, they automatically update and adapt to the latest encryption methods, and they work on most older PCs and Macs as well. Here are links to download the latest versions directly from the software companies:
If you use a Mac, recent versions of Apple Safari (anything from version 7.0 or higher, which came out in late 2013) are also a great choice. You can upgrade your Safari browser using the Mac's built-in App Store:
** Geek Alert **
If you have a PC and prefer to use the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser, version 8 (which runs on the Windows XP operating system), version 9 (which came with the Windows Vista operating system) or version 10 (which came with the Windows 8 operating system) can be configured to work with the newer forms of encryption. We've included the instructions below, and you can check the version of Internet Explorer you're running by following these instructions:
- Launch Internet Explorer, select the Tools button (or the Help button if you're using Internet Explorer 8) and then choose About Internet Explorer.
Internet Explorer version 7 and below cannot be configured to work with the newer forms of encryption. In this case, you may be able to download the latest version of Microsoft's web browser, which has been renamed Microsoft Edge, or a newer version of Internet Explorer. This page on the Microsoft website will tell you which version of Microsoft Internet Explorer or Edge will work depending on which operating system is running on your system:
Internet Explorer Download Page from Microsoft
Here are the instructions to configure the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser versions 8, 9 and 10 to work with newer forms of website encryption.
- Launch Internet Explorer
-
Click on the gear icon in the upper right corner
- Select Internet Options from the drop-down list
- When a smaller window opens, click on the far-right tab labeled Advanced
- Scroll down and uncheck these boxes: Use SSL 2.0, Use SSL 3.0, Use TLS 1.1 and Use TLS 1.0 (or leave them unchecked, if they already were)
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Check this box: Use TLS 1.2 (or leave it checked, if it already was), as shown below
- Click the Apply Button, then click the OK button
** Super Geek Alert **
For those of you interested in learning a little bit more, the encryption methods we recently deactivated were TLS version 1.0 and version 1.1, Triple DES 168, and all versions of RC4.
The web browsers that may no longer work properly on SmartPak and other websites are:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer version 7 or below.
- Apple Safari version 6.28 or below.