Some messages have recently begun to circulate on social networks that assure that this Thursday, September 30, there will be a ' Internet blackout '. This statement, as such, can be quite dramatic for this world in which being connected to the network is almost essential.
However, the reality of the 'internet blackout' is far from taking the entire world offline. The truth is that an HTTPS connection certificate present in a wide variety of devices such as computers, video game consoles and smartphones will expire.
For the vast majority of people, there is nothing to worry about. However, those who have old or outdated devices could be affected by this 'Internet blackout'. Let's see what role the certificate plays in this scenario and if there is any way to avoid losing the connection.
Certificates and Internet connection
Generally speaking, secure connections (HTTPS) between your device and the Internet are established through trusted certificates issued by a recognized organization. In this case, these are integrated into the operating system.
Precisely, as they have a specific life cycle, certificates are renewed as part of the normal update process that operating systems receive.
Now, as of September 30, 2021, Let's Encrypt, one of the largest HTTPS certificate providers in the world, will stop using its IdenTrust DST Root CA X3 certificate , resulting in what has been called 'internet blackout'.
And, after that date, all devices that still depend on that certificate to connect to the Internet, and that have not received another to replace it, could experience problems, according to security researcher Scott Helme.
What systems will the 'Internet blackout' affect?
Credit: Unsplash Computers with Windows XP SP3 or earlier Computers with macOS 10.12.1 (2016 version) ) or earlier. Devices with iOS 10 or earlier. Computers with Ubuntu 16.04 or earlier. Android devices 2.3.6 and earlier. Security researcher Scott Helme recommends that affected Android users be able to install Firefox as their browser. This is because, unlike Chrome, it uses independent certificates and not those that are included in the operating system.
In addition, he notes that other devices could be affected by the 'internet blackout', but his investigation has not been able to confirm them. These would be phones Blackberry with system 10.3.3 or earlier and video game consoles PlayStation 4 with firmware 5.00 or earlier.
How to avoid running out of Internet?
The key to avoid being harmed by the 'Internet blackout' this Thursday is to keep all systems up to date. However, some older devices are already out of support and have no updates, and some are simply not designed to be updated.
