Important: mailbox.org upgrades TLS encryption protocols

Security is not a one-off activity but a process that needs permanent checking and updating. We at mailbox.org are constantly striving towards offering a wide range of security measures, compliant with current standards, and implementing the highest level of security possible on our servers. In the week running up to Christmas, we are going to make the first of a series of changes to the background encryption technologies that are used on our servers. Doing this will not just increase security for our customers but is also required for us to maintain compliance, because from January 2017, the German federal office for information security (BSI) has increased the requirements for their Certification as a “Secure E-mail Provider“. The new rules that will come into force mean that TLS protocol versions 1.0 and 1.1 must not be used anymore, to be replaced comprehensively by TLS 1.2. The vast majority of implementations do already use this new protocol version and won’t notice a change; however, we estimate there are about 2-3% of systems that use the outdated TLS protocols, especially where customers run older software on legacy operating systems. It is to be expected that other platforms and online shops on the Internet will experience similar compatibility problems, as other providers get their systems up-to-date. Making these systems fit for the new protocols is therefore strongly recommended, as support for legacy systems is going to fade over time. If your own IT has a few quiet days after Christmas, then this could be an opportunity to have a software review and look for opportunities to replace those products that present a security risk and are no longer fit for service.   Planned changes and software compatibility Older software might no longer be compatible to the new technologies used. The following legacy web browsers may become incompatible with the mailbox.org Office (and other applications on the Internet) sooner or later and will need to be updated: Internet Explorer version 10 or less Firefox version 24 or less Google Chrome version 29 or less Safari version 8 or less Opera version 16 or less   Further, e-mail, contacts and calendar functions may no longer work or no longer sync with the mailbox.org Office and other services IF you use the following outdated smartphone operating systems: Android version 4.3 or less Windows 8.1 without further updates iOS version 8.4 or less   Users of our dedicated Jabber service will be affected by the changes if they use the Jitsi client für Windows. For now, these users will need to change their client, as Jitsi does not support the new protocol yet. Please note that updating software products is often generally beneficial as more recent versions may contain fixes to security issues that exist in older versions. Therefore, we would ask all customers who use old software to consider updating it. At this point, we cannot say when the implementation of the new security requirements will be completed. We are currently determining which customers may be affected by the various changes and how we can ensure a smooth transition for all. However, it is certain that TLS versions 1.0 and 1.1 will sooner or later disappear from the Internet entirely and it is therefore important to take precautions.   Technical details and background In the week coming up to Christmas day, we are going to start