Posted on 10/26/2019 11:14:04 AM PDT by dayglored
It's 2019 and government sites still require Internet Explorer
"That's not a browser... THIS IS A BROWSER!"
Companies using the Australian Border Force's (ABF) Integrated Cargo System (ICS) are having problems connecting to the portal using Internet Explorer.
The issue, which officials attribute to a Windows 10 update on 8 October, has forced some users to roll back the changes in order to connect to the system through the venerable browser.
Authorities said: "A change in behaviour of the protocol establishing the security of the connection with ICS is causing authentication failures."
An email seen by The Register added that "the ABF have been working with teams from Unisys, IBM, Home Affairs and Microsoft to find a resolution to these issues".
Microsoft's response would most likely be along the lines of "why in blue blazes are you still using Internet Explorer? Does nobody listen to us?" The company has repeatedly suggested that users move on and use something – anything – else.
However, a few clicks into the afflicted site reveals the awful truth: "Integrated Cargo System (ICS) only supports Internet Explorer on Windows at this time."
 Yes, it is 2019, and yes, this is still a thing |
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Far be it from us to speculate why the Australian Border Force should spank taxpayers' money on a portal that only works on a browser used by just over 6 per cent of users globally and whose maker is desperate for customers to leave it behind.
However, sticking with the thing as the rest of the web moved on has meant the hundreds, or thousands, of freight forwarders and companies that deal with the ICS and like their Windows 10 systems freshly patched now have a problem on their hands.
The ABF has said it intends to "work to identify an acceptable long-term solution to this problem". In the meantime, it cautions that uninstalling the patch be "informed by an appropriate risk assessment and analysis", going as far to suggest users opt for standalone machines. Certainly, there was plenty fixed in 8 October's bundle of joy.
And that solution? We've got one for you: perhaps it is time for the ABF to move on from Internet Explorer.
Even Microsoft would thank you. ®
Hopefully our Aussie FReepers aren’t doing much with the gov’s Integrated Cargo System, but ya never can tell....
The Ozzies should find whoever wrote the spec for that system and slap them.
The upcoming reboot of the Edge browser (based on Chromium) will contain have a IE mode built in for accessing old sites like that. (Yeah, I know, what could go wrong?)
The reason IE is still needed by enterprise is that there are a ton of business applications still out there in the wild that depend on ActiveX components to interface with Office and other old Microsoft technologies. Replacing them would require a huge investment in many cases. Sort of like the vast amounts of COBAL code still in use in the business world, even though so few people still know how to code it.
Some sites my company deals with in Europe only run on IE.
For the most part internally we do as well.
I’m sorry to hear that. Understandable though it may be, the pain it causes is going to become unbearable eventually. Microsoft won’t support IE forever.
Granted. Still, one should bite the bullet and move away from IE. Those Active-X applications are insecure, and risk losing the business. The only excuse for not updating and rewriting applications to get rid of old, buggy, insecure dependencies, is if the owners of the business don't plan to continue -- sell, bail out, etc.
Depending on Microsoft to keep supporting IE (or an IE-compatible mode) forever is risky, and leaving your network open to attack on the old known vectors of Active-X is even riskier.
Speaking of borked, I think the word applies to forcing your users to run Interwebs Destroyer. Really?
IE user here.
Why?
Because I know it. No one knows what Edge is doing.
Getting tough though, and I resent that.
Someone needs to come up with a user-friendly, user-protecting browser.
I feel the pain periodically when one of the mega-minds has a complaint.
I've seen a lot of positive comments here on FR about the "Brave" browser, with regard to privacy and ease of use:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_(web_browser)
It runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux, and the mobiles iOS and Android.
I haven't done much with it myself, other than download and try it on my Mac (I'm currently wedded to Firefox for historical reasons). It looked pretty good.
Microsoft's response would most likely be along the lines of "why in blue blazes are you still using Internet Explorer? Does nobody listen to us?" The company has repeatedly suggested that users move on and use something – anything – else.
That.
More than once I've had to coach some Windows 7 customer to switching to Chrome or Firefox for their online banking, when their bank stopped letting them do their banking with IE.
Seriesly, Australia, your stupid website REQUIRES frickin' Internet Explorer?!?!?
There's a State of IL law enforcement website I have to deal with for some of my customers. (You'll never see it, not accessible except through special dedicated connection.). Written a long time ago, for IE5. I keep expecting it to break hard. That kind of thing, in my observation, is typical of gov't IT, at least here.
What a fascinating idea for revenue!
Thanks, will keep my eye on it.
Pick a non-Microsoft Open Source browser for the next iteration. Has the bonus of Linux compatibility almost automatically.
People see no reason to discard a tool that has been working.Be that tool a hammer or a computer program.
Yep. It often totally impractical and economically unjustified to replace a business application that cost millions of dollars to develop after a relatively short period of time. Twenty years is forever in internet years, but its not that long in terms of business cycles.
Unbelievable.
PING!
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