Solution:
This message is familiar to anyone who has browsed the Web for more than a few hours, and because of its many possible causes, you may find it difficult to pin down exactly which applies to your current situation. The site may be offline temporarily, you may have typed an incorrect URL (uniform resource locator; Web address), or the site may be gone for good. Sometimes the site's down temporarily due to a server failure or an unanticipated flood of traffic that generated too many requests for its servers to handle. In this reader's case, it's likely the Security settings for IE had not been established properly. If you're getting the same message with an older version of IE, however, it's also possible that 128-bit encryption is not installed (something AT&T's Online Billing service requires before customers can access the site).
To access the security settings you're going to need to check, launch IE6.x and click Internet Options from the Tools menu. Click the Advanced tab and scroll down to the bottom of the list until you see the Security settings displayed. You'll want to make sure Use SSL 2.0, Use SSL 3.0, and Use TLS 1.0 all are checked and be sure to click Apply to make the changes stick. The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol adds extra security to online communications. TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol enjoys none of the popularity of SSL but is required by some secure Web sites.
As mentioned, if you have received this message and you're running an older version of IE, weak encryption may be the source of the problem. It's much tougher to crack 128-bit encryption than the standard encryption schemes integrated into earlier versions of IE (prior to version 5.5). The tougher standard means that creeps and losers who are trolling for passwords, account numbers, and other information you use to access the site will have a nearly impossible time prying their way into the encoded information. The 128-bit encryption scheme is a free, easy way to enhance security online, and users should be wary of any site containing account or other valuable and private information that doesn't use it.
To see if your version of IE uses 128-bit encryption, launch the browser (double-click the icon) and select About Internet Explorer from the Help menu. The Cipher Strength entry should read 128-bit. If not, upgrading it to support 128-bit encryption is relatively straightforward. You need to download and install the Internet Explorer High Encryption Pack, found at: www.microsoft.com/windows/ .
Click the link that corresponds to the version of IE installed on your computer and wait for the file to download and install itself. |