I tend to work with a lot of companies that use secure websites: websites for hospitals, the government, and financial websites; all of these domains tend to be secure (click here to find out how). However, I have come across a number of reasons why they do not work. If you are reading this, you may be looking for some help as well, and here is what I have figured out so far. With that being said, I’d also like to share this page with you that I deem would be helpful to those building websites so they can avoid the mistakes I’m about to list.
Potentially Unwanted Programs
I have found one of the most common reasons why employees can no longer access a secure website is PUP viruses. A PUP is a Potentially Unwanted Program and it comes in all shapes and sizes. They can range from the harmless but annoying toolbars that get installed, to those awful pestering driver and PC cleaners that won’t leave you alone. Believe it or not, they will block your computer from accessing secure websites, so go ahead and uninstall all those unwanted programs and see if that fixes your problems. If not, continue reading…
Virus Scanning
The second suggestion piggybacks off of the first one, and that is to do a virus scan. If you have a PUP on your PC there is a decent chance you will have a traditional anti-virus program on your PC that may be able to grant you access, or even just speed up your PC.
Try A Different Browser
Another suggestion I have for you is to try a new browser. I know it sounds like a temporary fix, but it will at least tell you if the issue is PC wide or if it is an issue with a certain browser. If you find that it is only one specific browser, then it may be a good idea to reset the settings back to default on the browser in which you were having the problem, and see if that resolves the issue. If you are using Internet Explorer, go to Internet Options: Advanced: Restore Advanced Settings And Reset, that little trick actually clears up a lot of issues with Internet Explorer.
Reload The Page/Browser
My last suggestion of the day is to disable all of the add-ons in your browser and try to launch the website again. You will find that anti-virus, java, adobe, and a host of other programs will install add-ons which can make loading websites much tougher.
Duh!
Of course, when in doubt reboot the machine! If you are still facing issues, contact us and we will help you.
