Caseware Cloud | Disabling access to Caseware Cloud for older and unsupported web browsers

Published: 17/08/2023

To ensure Caseware Cloud provides our users with a safe and secure environment, effective May 14, 2020, we are disabling access to Caseware Cloud for older and unsupported web browsers. You may experience the following issues due to the security update:

Error message on the Caseware Cloud login page
Unable to view or access any files from the SmartSync Server
Unable to connect to the server (i.e. go online) to sync changes

Answer:

To ensure Caseware Cloud provides our users with a safe and secure environment, effective May 14, 2020, we are disabling access to Caseware Cloud for older and unsupported web browsers. These older and unsupported browsers are using obsolete encryption protocols - TLS version 1.0 and v1.1. The full list of web browsers impacted is detailed in the “Internet Browser Compatibility” section below.

This change is enforced throughout the industry to maintain secure connections that encrypt and protect your sensitive data from malicious breaches. The PCI Security Standards Council has suggested all organizations following its best practices to migrate from SSL/TLS to TLS v1.2 or higher and Caseware will be following the recommendation across all our inbound connections.

What is TLS?

TLS stands for “Transport Layer Security.” It is a protocol that provides privacy and data integrity between two communicating applications. It’s the most widely deployed security protocol used today and is used for web browsers and other applications that require data to be securely exchanged over a network. TLS ensures that a connection to a remote endpoint is the intended endpoint through encryption and endpoint identity verification. The versions of TLS, to date, are TLS 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3.

Who is affected?

Caseware Cloud customers (staff and contacts) and Hybrid Cloud customers using older and unsupported web browsers to access Caseware products will be impacted. The full list of web browsers impacted is detailed in the “Internet Browser Compatibility” section below.

To check if you are on an unsupported browser:

Use this tool to check your browser SSL/TLS Capabilities.
If the browser requires updating (i.e. it doesn’t display 1.2 or higher), please refer to this website for steps on how to enable TLS 1.2 or higher: Enabling TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2 on web browsers

User experience if action not taken prior to May 14, 2020

On May 14, 2020, users will not be able to connect to Caseware Cloud unless their browser or browser settings are updated per the compatibility guidelines mentioned below.

Caseware Cloud Users
Users who are not using a compatible browser after May 14, 2020, will receive an error message on the Caseware Cloud login page and will not be able to connect to the server. Once their browser or browser settings are updated, users can refresh the page to access the login screen.

Working Papers Users with Cloud integration for SmartSync

Users who are not using a compatible browser after May 14, 2020, will experience some or all of the following:

Working Papers 2018 or higher	Working Papers 2017 or lower
Will receive an error message when connecting to the Caseware Cloud login screen from Working Papers. Will not be able to see or access any files from the SmartSync Server tab under File \| Open. Will not be able to connect to the server (i.e. go online) to sync changes from their local sync copy. A bubble notification will indicate the file is offline from the bottom right corner.	Will not be able to see or access any files from the SmartSync Server tab under File \| Open. Will not be able to connect to the server (i.e. go online) to sync changes from their local sync copy. A bubble notification will indicate the file is offline from the bottom right corner.

Once the browser or browser settings are updated, Working Papers files will return to their online state when connected to the internet. You may be required to log into Caseware Cloud if your firm settings have been configured to require a daily log in to Caseware Cloud.

Internet Browser Compatibility

As per our system requirements , Caseware Cloud supports the following browsers:

Google Chrome (recommended)
Mozilla Firefox
Microsoft Edge

Check if your browser supports TLS 1.2 or higher using this tool . If the browser requires updating (i.e. it doesn’t display 1.2 or higher), please refer to this website for steps on how to enable TLS 1.2 or higher.
Refer to the compatibility guidelines below:

Browser	Compatibility Notes
Google Chrome - Compatible with the most recent version, regardless of the operating system.
Google Chrome 38 and higher	Compatible with TLS 1.2
Google Chrome 30 to 37	Compatible when running on Windows XP SP3, Vista, or newer (desktop), OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or newer (desktop), or Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or newer (mobile).
Google Chrome 29 and below	Not compatible with TLS 1.2
Mozilla Firefox - Compatible with the most version, regardless of operating system.
Firefox 27 and higher	Compatible with TLS 1.2 by default.
Firefox 24 to 26	Compatible, but not by default. Use about:config to enable TLS 1.1 or TLS 1.2 by updating the security.tls.version.max config value to 2 for TLS 1.1 or 3 for TLS 1.2.
Firefox 23 and below	Not compatible with TLS 1.2
Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge	Compatible with TLS 1.2 by default.

Notes Not officially supported by Caseware Cloud
Google Android OS Browser
Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and higher	Compatible with TLS 1.2
Android 4.4 (KitKat) to 4.4.4	May be compatible with TLS 1.2 or higher. Some devices with Android 4.4.x may not support TLS 1.2
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) and below	Not compatible with TLS 1.2
Apple Safari
Desktop Safari versions 7 and higher for OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) and higher	Compatible, but not by default.
Desktop Safari versions 6 and below for OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) and below	Not compatible with TLS 1.1 or higher encryption
Mobile Safari versions 5 and higher for iOS 5 and higher	Compatible with TLS 1.2 by default.
Mobile Safari for iOS 4 and below	Not compatible with TLS 1.2