5 ways to Fix invalid SSL certificate Error

An invalid SSL certificate can be one of the worst things for our business. With its scary warning messages showing in the browser, it can make people run away from our site like nothing else. Therefore, we should fix it at the earliest. And hopefully, we will not have any trouble fixing it now when we’ve provided all the necessary information required to fix it.

Invalid SSL Certificate Error is one common SSL error. It’s the error message that’ll be seen if the browser fails to recognize the installed SSL certificate, a certificate authority is not valid or not recognized by the browser. It generally means that installed SSL is not trustworthy, and there’s potential danger on the site due to this scenario.

6 Reasons invalid SSL certificate Error happens

1. If users access the mismatch domain name in the address bar, then the browser will show the error of invalid SSL certificate. As a result of this user must have to access the right domain name or URL, which exactly enlisted on the certificate, to resolve the error.
2. If the user has signed their certificate by an unknown trusted source or self-signed certificate, the browser will show an invalid certificate error. To avoid this situation, the user must have a valid certificate authority SSL certificate.
3. In case the certificate has expired and is no longer valid, the browser will show an invalid certificate. To avoid this situation, users must have set alerts for the expiry of the certificate and get it renewed in time.
4. In an exceptional case, if the website has an incorrect format of SSL certificate, then it’s called an invalid certificate by browsers. If by mistake, the purchased SSL/TLS certificate gets misconfigured while installing, there’s no way to get to the correct HTTPS version. And, whenever someone tries accessing the website, this Invalid SSL Certificate error will show up. An invalid SSL Certificate can occur when we try installing an SSL/TLS certificate on the server, but the certificate details are not correct.
5. The installed certificate has been purchased illegally, or it’s revoked.
6. There’s a broken certificate chain of trust. For instance,
   The root/intermediate certificate is expired.
   The root CA is not verified.
   The chain consists of a self-signed certificate.
   The chain doesn’t end with a trusted root certificate.

 

How to Fix invalid SSL certificate Error?

There can be a variety of reasons behind the display of invalid TLS/SSL error for our site in the browser. Here they’re:

Check SSL certificate installation

One of the most common reasons behind a TLS/SSL error is misconfiguration of our certificate during installation. If we have made any mistake during the certificate’s installation, there is no way for the browser to verify our business identity properly.

Check Domain name

If there is a mismatch in our site’s domain and the domain for which certificate has been issued, there will be an error in verification, and the browser will show a TLS/SSL error.

Check the SSL chain of trust

If the certificate’s chain of trust is broken, it’ll inevitably lead to TLS/SSL error. The break-in chain of trust happens when the identity of the certificate issuer can’t be verified either due to the expiry of its certificate or due to any other reason.

Check date/time on our computer

TLS/SSL certificates are issued for a year (or more). If the date and time is not correct on our computer/device, it won’t fall into the validity period for which the certificate has been issued. As a result, the verification will fail and an error message will be shown.

Check if Certificate is revoked

Finally, it’s also possible that our certificate might have been revoked because we acquired it by providing false information or because of any accidental misrepresentation from our end. If that’s the case, we will also be notified about the revocation by our CA.