SSL and TLS errors are common, and one issue frequently seen by administrators, developers, and users is the "Self-Signed Certificate in Certificate Chain" error. This occurs when a self-signed certificate appears in the certificate chain or when the chain is incomplete. Since a trusted Certificate Authority does not verify self-signed certificates, clients cannot confirm their authenticity. As a result, secure connections fail.
Here's how you can fix it.
Update the Certificate and Chain
Verify that your certificate and its complete chain, including all intermediate and root certificates, are updated. Get the correct chain from the issuing Certificate Authority (CA) and install it on the server.
Restart the web server or related services to test your changes. This step is to also resolve any expired or misconfigured certificates that might be causing the error.
Use SSL Analysis Tools
Tools such as SSL Checker, SSL Labs, OpenSSL, or other certificate checkers will help with the determination of where the specific problem has arisen.
These tools check the certificate chain and any possible expired certificates, as well as that the appropriate domain should be mentioned on the certificate. By resolving the issues pinpointed in this way, you would be able to fix your configuration problems.
Also Read: Troubleshooting ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR in Chrome & Android Devices
Clear Browser Cache
There could be conflicts caused by cached SSL certificates stored in your browser. Clear the cache and cookies from your browser, and reopen the site over HTTPS. This action will force the browser to fetch the most recent SSL certificate and will also fix errors caused by deprecated or incorrectly cached entries.
Examine Intermediate Certificates
Check the certificate chain intermediate certificates. Missing, misconfigured or self-signed intermediate certificates could break trust in the chain.
Acquire valid intermediate certificates from the certificate authority and install them on the server to establish a valid trust chain.
Verify the Trusted Root CA Certificate
Ensure that the root CA certificate is in the trust store of the server and client systems. The root CA must match the list of CAs recognized as trusted by major web browsers and operating systems. If the root certificate is absent or untrusted, manually download and install it to correct the trust issue.
Also Read: Troubleshooting the ERR_CACHE_MISS Error in Google Chrome
Replace Self-Signed Certificates
Replace self-signed certificates with certificates issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). An authentic CA-signed certificate will be compatible with all browsers and provide an appropriate trust chain, thus eliminating the main cause of the error.
Install the Complete Certificate Chain
Make sure the web server is configured with the complete certificate chain, including the root, intermediate, and end-entity (domain) certificates.
Many errors arise from an incomplete chain, where intermediate certificates are missing. Proper chain configurations guarantee continuous validation by browsers and clients.
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