What are the types of HTTPS certificate errors?

the popularity of HTTPS encryption protocol, the security of website access has become the core issue of common concern to users and operation and maintenance personnel. However, many users often encounter HTTPS certificate error prompts popped up by the browser when visiting websites, which not only affect the access experience, but also may hide security risks. Behind different HTTPS certificate errors, the corresponding reasons and solutions are also different. This article will disassemble the specific types of various HTTPS certificate errors in the system, and sort out the corresponding solutions to help users and operation and maintenance personnel quickly troubleshoot and properly handle such problems.

What are the common types of HTTPS certificate errors?

to solve the problem of HTTPS certificate errors, it is first necessary to clarify the specific types of such errors, and different types of errors correspond to different triggering reasons.

1, certificate expiration class HTTPS certificate error

this is the most common type of HTTPS certificate error, which means that the certificate exceeds the valid period agreed upon at the time of issuance. The browser will automatically verify the validity and expiration time of the certificate. Once the expiration date is exceeded, it will be judged as unsafe and pop up an error message. Such errors often appear in websites where operation and maintenance personnel forget to renew.

2, domain name mismatch class HTTPS certificate error

this kind of HTTPS certificate error is caused by the inconsistency between the domain name bound to the certificate and the currently visited domain name. For example, the certificate is only bound to the main domain name, but the user visits the unbound subdomain, or the certificate is bound to the old domain name, the website has been replaced with a new domain name but the certificate has not been updated.

3, Untrusted class HTTPS certificate error

this kind of HTTPS certificate error is usually because the certificate is issued by an authority that is not trusted by the browser, or the certificate chain is incomplete. Some small institutions' root certificates are not included in mainstream browsers, or the operator misses the intermediate certificate when installing the certificate, which will make the browser unable to verify the legitimacy of the certificate, and then pop up an error message.

How to solve the HTTPS certificate error?

certificate expiration is a high-frequency cause of triggering HTTPS certificate errors, and the corresponding solution process is clear and can be quickly implemented.

1, timely completion of certificate renewal

if it is a paid certificate, the operation and maintenance personnel can contact the original certificate issuing authority to submit a renewal application, and obtain a new certificate after completing the verification according to the process; if it is a free DV certificate, you can reapply through platforms such as Let's Encrypt. The application process usually only needs to complete the domain name verification to quickly obtain a new certificate.

2, configure the automatic renewal mechanism

to avoid the recurrence of such HTTPS certificate errors, operators can configure automatic renewal scripts, such as with the help of the Certbot tool, set up a scheduled task to regularly check the certificate valid period, and automatically complete the renewal and deployment of the certificate before it expires, reducing the risk of manual omission.

How to solve the error of domain name mismatch HTTPS certificate?

HTTPS certificate error caused by domain name mismatch, the core problem is that the scope of certificate binding does not match the access domain name, which needs to be solved from the certificate adaptation.

1. Replace the certificate of the appropriate domain name

If the website has changed the main domain name, you need to reapply for the HTTPS certificate bound to the new domain name, submit the verification materials of the new domain name to complete the application, and replace the old certificate on the server; if you need to cover multiple subdomains, you can apply for a wild-card certificate, which can bind all subdomains under the main domain name to avoid HTTPS certificate errors when subdomains are accessed.

2, fix access domain name pointing

if the user accesses the wrong domain name that is not bound to the certificate, the operation and maintenance personnel can configure 301 redirection to jump the access request of the wrong domain name to the correct domain name that has been bound to the certificate, and prompt the user to use the correct domain name access in the website announcement. Reduce the triggering of such HTTPS certificate errors from the source.

4. How to solve the error of untrusted HTTPS certificate?

the root cause of the untrusted HTTPS certificate error is the problem of the trust chain of the certificate, which needs to be adjusted from the certificate issuance and deployment link.

1, replacement of certificates issued by mainstream institutions

if it is because the certificate authority is not trusted by mainstream browsers caused by HTTPS certificate error, it is recommended to replace the certificate issued by Symantec, DigiCert and other mainstream authorities, the root certificate of such institutions has been included in most browsers, can effectively avoid trust problems.

2, complete the certificate trust chain

if the HTTPS certificate error caused by the incomplete certificate chain, the operation and maintenance personnel need to obtain the complete certificate chain file from the issuing authority, including the root certificate, the intermediate certificate and the server certificate, and then deploy the complete certificate chain in the server configuration at the same time, so that the browser can verify the legitimacy of the certificate layer by layer.

sum up, there are various types of HTTPS certificate errors, and different types of errors correspond to different solutions, from certificate renewal, domain name adaptation to trust chain completion, every step needs to be precise operation. Whether it is website operation and maintenance personnel or ordinary users, mastering the troubleshooting and solution of these HTTPS certificate errors can not only ensure the safe access of the website, but also improve its own cyber security awareness. When encountering related problems, it can respond quickly and handle them properly.