ARRL UPDATING ITS WEBSITE SECURITY SOFTWARE

[IK0ZCW]

The ARRL website will update its security software on 15 October, and will disable support for the
outdated TLS 1.0 protocol to meet standards required to continue accepting credit cards for internet purchases.
The same changes are coming to all of ARRL's web presence at the same time.
The list of sites affected includes LoTW, Online DXCC, International Grid Chase, and any other ARRL web site which serves up pages via HTTPS.
Most modern browsers and operating systems will not be affected by the change, as they already support the new security standards. Users with old browsers or outdated operating systems, however, will encounter an error message when trying to log in or make a purchase on the website.
The list of browsers affected by this change and which will no longer be able to connect securely to any ARRL site after 15 October includes all versions of MS Internet Explorer prior to 11.
A further implication of this changes is that apps running under versions of MS Windows which do not support IE 11 (i.e. all versions of Windows prior to Windows 7 SP1) are likely to be similarly affected and no longer be able to successfully connect to secure pages on any ARRL site (including LoTW) unless the application's developer has chosen to bundle a 3rd-party security library with their app.
TQSL includes its own, up-to-date ecurity library rather than relying upon those services to be provided by the native OS. As a result, there will be no issue with TQSL ceasing to function on 15 October on any operating system. [TNX K1MK]