If Internet Explorer is preventing you from accessing a secure Website such as your online banking site or in the ”Check-out” section of an e-commerce site, there are usually two reasons why your browser is preventing you from accessing these secure sites. The problem is either related to the proxy servers or 128-bit security.


Step 1 - Proxy Servers

Proxy servers are very fast computers on the Network which store websites that are viewed often. By storing these pages closer to you on the network, you are usually able to access web pages more quickly. Whenever you request to view a webpage, your computer always checks the proxy server first. This can sometimes cause problems with banking or shopping sites, as the servers for these sites cannot correctly identify your computer to complete the online transaction. If the proxy servers are preventing you from accessing the site, you will often see an “Authorization Required” message within your browser.

In this situation, you will have to temporarily disable your proxy settings within your browser to access these sites.

To disable proxy servers:
1. Launch Internet Explorer
2. From the menu bar, select Tools and click Internet (the Internet options dialog box appears)
3. Click the Connections Tab at the top of the dialog box
4. Click LAN Settings near the bottom right of the box (the LAN Settings dialog box appears)
5. Ensure that, "Automatically detect settings", "Use automatic configuration script" and "Use a proxy server", are all Unchecked.
6. Try to access the secure site again.
7. If access is still denied proceed with step 2.


Step 2 - 128-Bit Encryption

The highest level of encryption is called 128-bit encryption and is usually an option that is installed with Internet Explorer. Encryption is used to ensure that an unauthorized party cannot access your personal information. Data you send from your PC is encrypted before leaving your computer. Encryption alters your data into a format that can be safely transmitted over the Internet. Once the data has been encrypted, it cannot be read until it reaches its destination and is decrypted, using an encryption key. If for some reason, 128-Bit encryption was not installed, secure sites will often prevent you from gaining access to secure areas.

In Internet Explorer, a padlock icon appears in the Status Bar of the browser window if a page is encrypted. If this icon does not appear or the secure page will not grant you access you may have to download the 128-bit Encryption pack from Microsoft. You can get this option from the Microsoft Internet Explorer web site.
Once you have installed the 128-bit encryption pack, shut down and restart Internet Explorer and try to access the secure site again. If you are still unable to access the site, you should contact the company that hosts the website to find out more information about how to gain access to their site. You can also check to see if the problem is covered in our Frequently Asked Question section.