Today, over 300 million websites on the Internet have an SSL certificate. This number is expected vĩ đại increase as more tìm kiếm engines and consumers prefer sites with SSL certificates. I use SSL certificates because they make my site look more trustworthy. An SSL error does the opposite. If my customers no longer trust my site, they may look vĩ đại a competitor they can actually trust. In this post, I’ll discuss what this error means and what could be causing it. Then, I’ll walk you through different steps you can take vĩ đại resolve the error and get your site up and running again. Table of Contents An SSL certificate is a standard security technology for encrypting information between a visitor’s browser and my trang web. Because it helps keep sensitive information lượt thích passwords and payment information safe, visitors feel safer on sites encrypted with SSL. I can spot an encrypted site by the “HTTPS” in the URL and the padlock icon in the address bar. Sites that aren’t encrypted may see hits vĩ đại their traffic or conversion rates. Not only are these sites flagged as “Not secure” in Google Chrome, but online shoppers typically avoid them — I know I tự. Thankfully, many hosted platforms lượt thích Content Hub and Squarespace will include an SSL certificate in their plans, ví I don’t have vĩ đại worry about installing or renewing it. Pro tip: All users who build and host their trang web with HubSpot get a không tính tiền built-in SSL certificate. This không tính tiền SSL certificate saves you the cost and stress of technical setup associated with third-party SSL providers. If you’re using a self-hosted platform lượt thích WordPress.org, you can choose hosting providers who include an SSL certificate in their plans. And if you don’t find any hosting plans lượt thích that you can acquire one from an SSL certificate provider. I have sometimes chosen a plan that includes SSL certification or installed a certificate on my site. Then I open Google Chrome and try vĩ đại visit a page on my site, and instead of the page loading, I get an “ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR” message. What gives? Image Source This is an SSL error. This message will look different depending on two factors. The first is the browser I am using. The previous screenshot shows an error message on Google Chrome, while the screenshot below shows a message I’ve seen on Internet Explorer. Image Source The error message will also look different on browsers such as Safari, Arc, Brave, etc. The second factor is the type of SSL certificate error occurring. Let’s take a look at these different types below. As a trang web developer, I have encountered several SSL certificate errors. Let’s look at the most common ones. This error indicates that the SSL certificate is signed or approved by a company that the browser does not trust. That means either the company, known as the certificate authority (CA), is not on the browser’s built-in list of trusted certificate providers or that the server itself issued the certificate. Certificates issued by the server are often referred vĩ đại as self-signed certificates. Image Source This error indicates that the domain name name in the SSL certificate doesn’t match the URL typed into the browser. This message can come about by something as simple as “www.” Say the certificate is registered for www.yoursite.com, and you type in https://yoursite.com. Then, you’ll get an SSL certificate name error. Image Source This error indicates that a secure page (one loaded with HTTPS in the address bar) contains an element that’s being loaded from an insecure page (one loaded with HTTP in the address bar). Even if there’s only one insecure tệp tin on a page — often, an image, iframe, Flash animation, or snippet of JavaScript — your browser will display an error message instead of loading the page. Image Source This error occurs when the site’s SSL certificate expires. According vĩ đại industry standards, SSL certificates cannot last longer than vãn 398 days. That means every trang web needs vĩ đại renew or replace its SSL certificate at least once every two years. Otherwise, when I try vĩ đại load my site, I’ll see an error that looks something lượt thích this: Image Source This error indicates that the CA has canceled or revoked the website’s SSL certificate. This could be because the trang web acquired the certificate with false credentials (whether by accident or on purpose), the key was compromised, or the wrong key was issued. These issues result in the following error message. Image Source This error is particularly tricky vĩ đại resolve because of multiple potential causes, including the following: I recommend double-checking the certificate's format and ensuring it follows the correct standards. When I encountered this issue, I contacted my certificate provider vĩ đại reissue or repair the certificate. Ensure you install the certificate in the right location and the server configuration points vĩ đại the correct certificate tệp tin. If this turns out vĩ đại be the issue, I can simply reinstall or consult my server's documentation. SSL certificates rely on digital signatures vĩ đại ensure their authenticity. Without them, I can get SSL protocol errors. If necessary, I can tương tác my certificate provider vĩ đại verify the integrity and validity of the certificate or replace it if necessary. Some older encryption algorithms may be considered insecure and unsupported by modern browsers. If my certificate uses one, it can lead vĩ đại SSL protocol errors. I recommend buying a new SSL certificate with a stronger and more secure encryption algorithm. I always kiểm tra my firewall or security software settings vĩ đại ensure they're not blocking or interfering with SSL connections. Then, I try disabling any features that might disrupt my SSL. A chain or trust is the series of certifications that làm đẹp your site’s SSL encryption. SSL certificates are typically issued by trusted Certificate Authorities (CAs) and should sườn a chain of trust that browsers can validate. If there's an issue, such as a missing intermediate certificate, SSL protocol errors can occur. In these cases, I’ve seen a generic SSL message lượt thích this one: Next up, I'll cover some potential fixes. Before troubleshooting my SSL error, I need vĩ đại make sure my trang web has SSL installed. A straightforward way vĩ đại tự ví is vĩ đại access my trang web on my browser and look at the address bar. If my trang web has an SSL certificate installed, the URL should start with “https://” instead of “http://”. I may also see a padlock icon indicating that the connection is secure. Pro tip: I also recommend checking the status via my hosting provider's portal or an SSL checker. If I have a Content Hub trang web and am running into an SSL error, it may be because there is no Whois gmail associated with my site. Content Hub automatically gives an SSL certificate but can sometimes cause issues when there's a discrepancy in the registration information. All Content Hub websites include an SSL certificate — 100% free One such discrepancy is the Whois gmail. If the emails don’t match, Content Hub cannot authenticate the domain’s ownership. To solve this problem, I can log into my DNS provider's trang web and update my Whois gmail. You can find more detailed instructions here (as well as other methods of resolving this error). Next, use an online tool vĩ đại identify the problem causing the SSL certificate error on my site. I can use tools lượt thích SSL Checker, SSL Certificate Checker, or SSL Server Test vĩ đại verify that an SSL certificate is installed and not expired, that the domain name name is correctly listed on the certificate, and more. To use the tool, I just copy and paste my site address into the tìm kiếm bar. If the problem is that my CA is not trusted, then I may need vĩ đại install at least one intermediate certificate on my trang web server. Intermediate certificates help browsers establish that a valid root certification authority issued the website’s certificate. Some trang web hosting providers, such as GoDaddy, offer information on installing intermediate certificates. So first, I’ll double-check that my trang web host offers the option or a tool vĩ đại obtain an intermediate certificate. If not, I’ll need vĩ đại double-check my website’s server and find instructions for my server. Let’s say I installed an SSL certificate from the popular provider, Namecheap, on my Microsoft Windows Server. Then, I can follow this step-by-step tutorial vĩ đại install an intermediate certificate. If you’re not on a Windows server, I can find instructions for my server here. If I’m still getting a certificate not trusted error, then I could have installed the certificate incorrectly. In that case, I can generate a new CSR from my server and reissue it from my certificate provider. Steps will vary depending on your server. You can kiểm tra out this links hub vĩ đại generate a CSR on different servers. If I’m getting a name mismatch error, then the problem may be my IP address. When I type my domain name name into my browser, it first connects vĩ đại my site’s IP address and then goes vĩ đại my site. Usually, a trang web has its IP address. But if I use a type of trang web hosting other than vãn dedicated hosting, my site may be sharing an IP address with multiple sites. If one of those websites does not have an SSL certificate installed, then a browser might not know which site it’s supposed vĩ đại visit and display a mismatch name error message. To resolve the issue, I can upgrade my site vĩ đại a dedicated IP address. If I’m still getting a name mismatch error, then I might need vĩ đại get a wildcard SSL certificate. This type of certificate will allow bủ vĩ đại secure multiple subdomain names and my root domain name. For example, I could get one Multi-Domain SSL Certificate vĩ đại cover all of the following names: If I get a mixed nội dung error on one of my trang web pages, I copy and paste the URL into WhyNoPadLock.com vĩ đại identify the insecure elements. Once I’ve identified the elements, I edit the page's source code and change their URLs vĩ đại HTTPS. Alternatively, I can look at the results and see if I need additional tư vấn from my trang web hosting provider. If my SSL certificate is expired, I’ll have vĩ đại renew it immediately. The details of the renewal process change depending on the trang web host or CA I am using, but the steps remain the same. I’ll need vĩ đại generate a CSR, activate my certificate, and install it. You can sometimes fix SSL errors you encounter as a trang web visitor, even if you don’t have access vĩ đại the website’s backend. Here’s how. As a technical consultant, I sometimes have vĩ đại travel for work. Due vĩ đại my settings, my computer’s time and date weren’t updating when I switched time zones. This tiny issue led vĩ đại certificate validation errors when I browsed other websites because my browser thought the SSL certificate had expired. I fixed this by changing my settings vĩ đại update my time and date automatically. If you use a Mac, click System Preferences, then Date và Time. If you are using Windows, click Start, Settings, Time và language, and finally Date và time. As technology advances, security protocols tự, too. I recommend always using an updated browser vĩ đại stay compatible with SSL changes. For example, if you are using Chrome and aren't sure if you are using the latest version, follow the steps below vĩ đại kiểm tra for an update: It’s always good practice vĩ đại clear your cookies, caches, and history when you encounter an error. Your information remains across browsing sessions because data is constantly being stored in your cookies and caches. When expired certificates are still stored in your history, this can cause an SSL error. When I am trying vĩ đại figure out how vĩ đại fix an issue, the developer in bủ always tries vĩ đại reproduce the issue in a different environment. Whenever I encounter an SSL issue, I try using the same trang web in a different browser. This allows bủ vĩ đại narrow the issue vĩ đại either being browser-specific or website-specific. Believe it or not, refreshing the page can solve many issues. It’s the first step I try whenever I receive an SSL error. Sometimes, wires get crossed for no specific reason, and a simple page refresh can quickly get the webpage up and running. As I’ve shown, there are several possible explanations for an SSL certificate that doesn‘t work. However, the kết thúc result is the same for visitors — they’ll see a warning in their browser window explaining that the trang web they're about vĩ đại enter is not secure. Of course, this is far from the best thing for any company’s reputation, ví be sure vĩ đại address the lack of encryption as soon as possible. If the methods above don’t work, I recommend contacting your hosting provider vĩ đại help you troubleshoot. Chances are, they’ve seen problems lượt thích yours before. Editor's note: This post was originally published in April 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
1. SSL Certificate Not Trusted Error
2. Name Mismatch Error
3. Mixed Content Error
4. Expired SSL Certificate Error
5. SSL Certificate Revoked Error
6. Generic SSL Protocol Error
An improperly formatted SSL certificate that the browser cannot parse.
A certificate that is not properly installed on the server.
A faulty, unverified, or missing digital signature.
The use of an outdated encryption algorithm.
A firewall or other security software interfering with the SSL protection.
A problem in the certificate’s chain or trust
1. Confirm that I have an SSL certificate installed on my trang web.
2. Edit my Whois gmail address vĩ đại validate my SSL.
3. Diagnose the problem with an online tool.
4. Install an intermediate certificate on my trang web server.
5. Generate a new Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
6. Upgrade vĩ đại a dedicated IP address.
7. Get a wildcard SSL certificate.
8. Change all URLs vĩ đại HTTPS.
9. Renew my SSL certificate.
How vĩ đại Fix SSL Errors as a Website Visitor
Step 1: Verify accurate date and time settings.
Step 2: Use an updated browser.
Step 3: Delete browsing data.
Step 4: Try a different browser.
Step 5: Refresh the page.
Resolving an Invalid SSL Certificate
A Simple Explanation of SSL Certificate Errors & How to Fix Them
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04:50 13/12/2024