Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) has ended support for SSL 3.0 due to the threat of the Poodle bug with the 15-year old internet software. This means that the site will not run properly on the older browser versions such as Internet Explorer 6.
Twitter disables SSL.3.0
The micro-blogging site made the announcement via its Twitter Security account. The firm stated that the current version of browsers use advanced security protocols, usually a version of TSL.
“We have disabled SSLv3 protocol support in response to the vulnerability published today. You may need to update your browser to use Twitter,” said a tweet from Twitter Security.
If a user wants to access Twitter and other sites through Internet Explorer 6 without upgrading, then you can open Internet options, go to Security and uncheck the boxes for all versions of SSL, which are ticked by default.
Launched in 2001, Internet Explorer 6 was the primary browser for Windows XP and still holds substantial market share at 3.23% of all browsers in use, while Chrome has 10.06%, according to Net Applications. Google mentioned the SSL 3.0 vulnerability known as “Poodle” in a recent blog post.
Other browsers taking precautionary measures
Google also made sure that the problem is not exacerbated by updating Chrome, but the browser still technically supports SSL 3.0. However, the search engine giant has said it plans to end support of SSL 3.0 soon.
Mozilla also said that it would stop SSL 3.0 by default in the next version of the Firefox browser scheduled for launch on November 25th. Firefox 35 will be better armored against security vulnerabilities and any browser security downgrades from TSL to SSL. According to Mozilla, SSL 3.0 is used only by 0.3% of HTTPS Firefox connections, but that still adds up to millions of users.
The Poodle bug was given its name by Google. The bug allows an attacker to track content sent over encrypted connections in plain text under certain conditions. Robert Graham at Errata Security said that this would probably be a man in the middle attack, so those who are using a public Wi-Fi hotspots would be in a delicate situation.
On Wednesday, Twitter shares closed up 2.90% at $49.99.
