Expired Security Certificate

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CostlyAxis
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Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by CostlyAxis »

It seems that the security certificate this site used expired on February 5th. Trying to access this site via https://unitedcardists.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; results in browsers blocking it for this reason. I didn't try Chrome (I don't have it installed), but both FireFox and IE 11 refused to connect without explicit confirmation. Connecting via http://unitedcardists.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; works without issue because it isn't validating any certificates.

FireFox message:

This Connection is Untrusted

You have asked Firefox to connect securely to unitedcardists.com, but we can't confirm that your connection is secure.

Normally, when you try to connect securely, sites will present trusted identification to prove that you are going to the right place. However, this site's identity can't be verified.
What Should I Do?

If you usually connect to this site without problems, this error could mean that someone is trying to impersonate the site, and you shouldn't continue.

unitedcardists.com uses an invalid security certificate. The certificate expired on 2/5/2015 10:52 PM. The current time is 2/7/2015 9:04 PM. (Error code: sec_error_expired_certificate)
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nECr0MaNCeD
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Re: Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by nECr0MaNCeD »

CostlyAxis wrote:It seems that the security certificate this site used expired on February 5th. Trying to access this site via https://unitedcardists.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. results in browsers blocking it for this reason. I didn't try Chrome (I don't have it installed), but both FireFox and IE 11 refused to connect without explicit confirmation. Connecting via http://unitedcardists.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. works without issue because it isn't validating any certificates.

FireFox message:

This Connection is Untrusted

You have asked Firefox to connect securely to unitedcardists.com, but we can't confirm that your connection is secure.

Normally, when you try to connect securely, sites will present trusted identification to prove that you are going to the right place. However, this site's identity can't be verified.
What Should I Do?

If you usually connect to this site without problems, this error could mean that someone is trying to impersonate the site, and you shouldn't continue.

unitedcardists.com uses an invalid security certificate. The certificate expired on 2/5/2015 10:52 PM. The current time is 2/7/2015 9:04 PM. (Error code: sec_error_expired_certificate)

I am not getting this error in Firefox 35.0.1 or IE 10 or 11. the most common reason this can happen ( other than legit certificate problems) is the computers date being wrong. Usually it won't happen if the date is in the near future but will always happen if the date is in the past, usually by a great deal. Hope this helps.
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CostlyAxis
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Re: Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by CostlyAxis »

nECr0MaNCeD wrote:I am not getting this error in Firefox 35.0.1 or IE 10 or 11. the most common reason this can happen ( other than legit certificate problems) is the computers date being wrong. Usually it won't happen if the date is in the near future but will always happen if the date is in the past, usually by a great deal. Hope this helps.
My computer clock does not appear to be wrong as it agrees with this website for when I posted this topic. My second computer also gets this certificate error, and if both my computers have wrong times then I've got some serious problems. I know certificates are both local and external, but I don't think unitedcardists.com is a popular enough site that its certificate would be brought locally (hence cached). The only two explanations I can come up with is that either the external server providing certificates in my region is no longer in-sync, or it's a legitimate expiration of the certificate. I'm in central US.
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Mike Ratledge
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Re: Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by Mike Ratledge »

This site is strictly forums, and has never had SSL installed that I was aware of.

Do you have a "force SSL" add on for Firefox, maybe? It sure sounds like it. SSL requires DNS changes, I would remember, although from your description it sounds like it was setup when we moved to HosrGator about this time last year. It's entirely not needed, if we do any sales those are handled by PayPal and not UC.

Since you are the only one with problems, I suggest looking at the configuration and exempt UC from forcing SSL.
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Re: Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by CostlyAxis »

Mike Ratledge wrote:This site is strictly forums, and has never had SSL installed that I was aware of.

Do you have a "force SSL" add on for Firefox, maybe? It sure sounds like it. SSL requires DNS changes, I would remember, although from your description it sounds like it was setup when we moved to HosrGator about this time last year. It's entirely not needed, if we do any sales those are handled by PayPal and not UC.

Since you are the only one with problems, I suggest looking at the configuration and exempt UC from forcing SSL.
No, I do not have any add-ons for FireFox to force the usage of https over http. Nor do I have anything for that in IE 11. However, I think the first link I ever used to get to this site was an https one, and I just use whatever cached address my browser stores. Now that I have used http more recently than https, I'm not going through a secured connection when I just use the cached address.

However, I wouldn't come to the conclusion that I'm the only one having this issue. Browsers block sites that have invalid certificates and unless someone explicitly clicks on the "I acknowledge that this website is probably lying about its identity" link that browsers provide, or remove the "s" from "https" they won't get to the site.

For all conclusive purposes, my issues are resolved.
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Mike Ratledge
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Re: Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by Mike Ratledge »

Cool. I never tried it, curious about finding an HTTPS link, frankly. If we were e-commerce or anything sensitive it would be needed.

Glad it's working! I am a cyber security expert and have been for 20+ years. It's just odd that there ever was a certificate in my mind. I guess I should look at my Hostgator.com account? Maybe one year was free? That's about the only thing that makes sense.
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Re: Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by nECr0MaNCeD »

Sorry the time thing didn't work. This came to mind for me because I see it regularly at work with my customers computers.

I remember quite awhile ago this happening to users of a single ISP. I don't remember if it was a single region or not but it stands to reason.

Maybe your cache isn't getting updated when you click on a newer link. If so clearing the cache would fix it.

Sorry to revisit this. I just can't help not knowing the cause and fix for a problem. It's why I do what I do.
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Re: Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by Mike Ratledge »

Clearly not, John. I never knew there was an SSL cert installed. It is free for a year at hostgator.com although I never created a code signing request, etc. I have to assume it's just installed by default. Timing is perfect, we moved there almost exactly a year ago (from godaddy.com).
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Re: Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by Eoghann »

I got that same thing on my iPad right around the time CA got his message. Had forgotten to comment. Just clicked continue and the thing never popped up again.
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Re: Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by Mike Ratledge »

Cool. Either trust that expired cert or use HTTP instead.
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Mike Ratledge
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Re: Expired Security Certificate

Unread post by Mike Ratledge »

Just a heads-up that after going three rounds with Hostgator.com tech support, and pointing out that the "business" hosting we used says it includes SSL - and dancing around for two weeks, they finally installed a new certificate last night.

If you want to use HTTPS (encryption) here, it works correctly again. It's possible that if your browser caches credentials or DNS information, you need to flush your cache because it makes changes to the DNS records when SSL is enabled. Obviously if you are reading this and had problems, you already figured that out, but if someone else you know has problems accessing the site as of today, that's the solution.

I didn't need to do anything, it just worked. Firefox uses <Shift-F5> or <CTRL-F5> depending on which version you use, and I think - but not certain - Internet Explorer uses the same. IHNI what other browsers use, but those two key sequences are what I would try first, if not search for "flush cache" in the browser's help index.

The odd thing is that I never knew that it was installed to start with. I knew it was available, and that it caused a temporary problem when the DNS record was updated, so I have to assume that it was installed all along from the beginning (first week of February 2014 when I moved from GoDaddy to HostGator hosting).
>Mike<
"You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself"
They say "Ignorance is bliss". Obviously, some people are much happier than others...

Members are encouraged to
Show Us Your Cards!


Our UC2021 Decks entitled
"Odd Fellows"
by Lorenzo Gaggiotti / @Stockholm17
Coming soon: AKA
«Eighth Annual Decks»


UC members help maintain Portfolio52
THE Playing Card Database Online
Contact ecNate for details and access


UC2019 "Seventh Annual Decks"
by Montenzi Design
Funded 207% on KS: HERE


>>> UC Deck Sales <<<


Insert disclaimer here...
All information posted as fact is accurate at the time of posting to the best of my knowledge.
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