What’s an SSL Error and How to Fix It

An SSL error can happen when your browser can’t securely connect to a website. This failed establishment of an SSL handshake might confuse some people, especially those new to SSL certificates and SSL errors.

Here you will learn what an SSL error is and understand how to fix them step by step.

What Is SSL?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It’s a protocol that makes sure data sent between your browser and a server stays private. An SSL certificate confirms a website’s identity and encrypts information.

The process is called an SSL handshake, and its primary purpose is to establish a secure connection. Without a proper SSL certificate, hackers and attackers may be able to view or even steal sensitive data, such as login information, credit card details, personal contact info, and more.

What Causes SSL Errors?

Many issues could lead to an SSL error. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Expired SSL certificate. When the SSL certificate expires, browsers refuse to trust the connection and hence you get the SSL connection error.
• Misconfiguration on the web server. A misconfigured web server cannot complete the SSL handshake properly, which leads to an SSL certificate error.
• Mixed content. When a secure page starts loading some insecure elements (for example, an HTTPS page loading HTTP elements), an SSL error occurs.
• Incorrect system clock. If your device’s clock is incorrect, the SSL certificate may appear invalid, causing an SSL connection error.
• Antivirus or firewall conflicts. Some antivirus tools try to intercept SSL, which causes an SSL error during the SSL handshake process.

While these common SSL certificate errors may sound like a handful, they are easily fixable once you understand where to look. If you’re interested, it’s also possible to ignore SSL errors using cURL .

How to Check Your SSL Certificate

There are three most popular methods to verify your SSL certificate: browser tools, online checkers, and CLI tools.

1. Using Browser Tools

Most browsers allow you to click the icon next to the address bar after entering a URL and go to the website. You can view details such as connection security, cookies data, and site settings there.

To check the SSL certificate, choose ‘Connection is secure/insecure’ (wording may differ) and click ‘Certificate is valid/invalid’. There you will find all the necessary information about your SSL certificate and its validity.

2. Online Checkers

You can also use free tools like SSL Labs to test a site’s SSL certificate health and find common SSL certificate errors.

It may take some time, but once it’s finished, you will see your grade. If there are any issues with your SSL certificate, you will be able to identify the most prominent ones, if not all of them.

3. CLI Tools (Advanced)

If you’re an experienced user who is comfortable dealing with command lines, you can run this to inspect the SSL handshake details:

openssl s_client -connect iproyal.com:443

Step-by-Step: How to Fix SSL Errors

To fix SSL errors, follow these steps:

• Check SSL certificate validity. Confirm the SSL certificate hasn’t expired. You can do that by clicking next to the URL space and choosing the option to inspect your website’s SSL certificate.
• Clear browser cache. Cached data may cause duplicate SSL connection error warnings.
• Check system time. Ensure your device’s clock is accurate since many SSL errors result from clock misalignment.
• Renew or reissue SSL certificates. If you’re a site owner, make sure to renew and install a valid SSL certificate to stop the SSL errors.
• Fix mixed content issues. Change all your resources to HTTPS to ensure your secure page doesn’t start loading insecure elements.
• Use SSL checker tools. Check your server’s SSL handshake using online SSL testers such as SSL Labs.

These steps will help you fix SSL errors and maybe even prevent them from occurring at all.

Fixing SSL Errors on Mobile Devices

Mobile users can also encounter SSL errors on iPhone or Android. Here’s how you can fix them on both devices:

• Clear cache. The process is similar to both devices: go to ’Settings’ > ‘Apps’ > ‘Choose your browser’ (such as Chrome, Safari, or some default browser) > ‘Storage’ > ‘Clear cache’.
• Verify SSL certificate validity. Go to browser settings and check certificate information by entering the URL, clicking the icon next to the URL space, and selecting ‘Connection is secure/insecure’.
• Update OS/browser. Older versions may not support modern SSL handshake protocols and cause SSL certificate errors.

Conclusion

An SSL error means that your browser cannot establish a secure connection due to issues with the SSL certificate, server misconfiguration, caching, system time misalignment, and others mentioned in this article.

However, now you know how to address and resolve these issues with minimal hassle. To easily identify problems, consider using free online tools. Once you do that, you know what needs fixing and how to do it.

Keep your web server secure and properly configured to help prevent SSL connection errors and SSL certificate problems altogether.

If you want to enhance your anonymity and protect your digital presence, you should learn about SSL proxies .