Do you often get the “Your Connection Is Not Private” message in Chrome? Also, is it tagged with the “Not Secure” warning in the Google Chrome address bar? You should trust the message and assume it’s there to protect you from sloppy websites. However, this could be an issue on your end and in such cases, fix the issue before you encounter an SSL error.
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a universally recognized security protocol responsible for ensuring that the websites you visit on the internet are secure and the data exchanged between the web server and your internet browser is encrypted.
SSL certificate errors also have unique error codes with different meanings. In this troubleshooting guide, we’ll show you what some of these error codes mean, what causes the errors, and how to fix them.
1. Change Computer Date and Time
If your computer’s time and date settings are incorrect, the following SSL error codes may appear in Chrome when browsing web pages.
Net::ERR_CERT_DATE_INVALID
NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID
One way to fix this error and prevent future occurrences is to configure your computer to automatically update the date and time settings.
For Windows, open the Settings app and go to Time & Language > Date & time and turn on Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically.
Mac users can go to System Preferences > Date & Time > confirm ID and enable the Set date and time automatically toggle to make changes in the lower left corner.
2. Clear SSL State Cache
Follow the steps below to clear the SSL state cache from the Internet Properties menu.
Stage 1: Press Windows Key + R and then type inetcpl.cpl and press Enter to open Internet Properties.
Step 2: Go to the “Content” tab and click the Clear SSL state button.
Stage 3: Close everything and restart your computer to save the changes.
If this does not fix the SSL Certificate Error in Chrome then move on to the next method.
3. Clear Cache and Cookies from Google
A corrupt cache can ruin your day. Clearing the cache is almost always safe, so there’s no reason not to try it.
If your Google Chrome has overloaded browsing data, this can cause the browser to throw an SSL error.
Follow the steps below to clear your browser’s browsing history, cache and cookies.
Stage 1: Open Google Chrome, tap the three-dot menu at the top.
Step 2: Go to More tools > Clear browsing data.
Stage 3: Go to Advanced from the menu below and select the Cache and Cookies files to delete.
Then restart the Google Chrome browser and check if the issues related to the Google Chrome security certificate error have been fixed.
4. Disable Google Chrome Extensions
Extensions play a vital role in the Chrome ecosystem. Using extensions, more features can be added to the core Chrome interface and functionality. However, some may not be actively maintained, be out of date, or develop incompatibilities with new Chrome builds.
If you have dozens of Chrome extensions installed, it can be difficult to figure out which of them is causing the problem.
Therefore, the easiest solution is to disable all extensions and then enable only the ones you need each time.
Stage 1: Open Google Chrome, tap the three-dot menu at the top.
Step 2: Go to More tools > Extensions.
Stage 3: It will open the extension menu. Tap on the Uninstall button and uninstall the Chrome extensions.
5. Use Chrome In Incognito Mode
Disabling all Chrome extensions is not a sensible solution for most people as you may need them in your daily use. Instead, you can choose Chrome’s Incognito mode for web browsing as it temporarily disables all Chrome extensions.
This can help determine if malicious extensions are responsible for Google Chrome’s security errors. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner and select New Incognito Window.
If you are not getting SSL security certificate errors in Chrome when browsing infected websites in incognito window, you probably have installed a faulty extension. In such cases, you can apply the above trick and fix the problem.
6. Reset All Chrome Settings
It can be helpful especially if you are enabling beta features as changing the wrong settings can eventually cause issues with Chrome.
You can fix all of this by resetting Chrome.
Stage 1: Launch Chrome and open Settings.
Step 2: Scroll down and click Advanced to open all settings.
Stage 3: Scroll down to the Reset and clean section and click Restore settings to their original defaults.
This will open a window with a warning that Windows will reset all Chrome settings. Simply select Reset settings to continue.
Note that this will disable all your extensions, clear temporary data and delete all cookies. But it does not affect bookmarks, history and saved passwords.
7. Use the Chrome Malware Scanner
If none of the above tricks worked, you might have malware blocking Chrome on your system. The good news is that Google has integrated an anti-malware scanner that will scan your computer and find any problems.
Stage 1: Open Chrome and go to Settings.
Step 2: Scroll down and click Advanced to open all settings.
Stage 3: Scroll down to the Reset and clean section and click on Clean computer.
This will open a window where you can start the Chrome malware scan. Simply select the Find button to start the scan.
8. Contact the Website Administrator
Website creators need to periodically review their SSL certificates. If a website’s SSL certificate expires and the administrator does not renew the authentication license, you may encounter the following SSL security errors in Chrome:
- NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID
- NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID
- NET::ERR_CERT_REVOKED
- NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID
- ERR_SSL_WEAK_EPHEMERAL_DH_KEY
- ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH
If you are unable to visit a website due to any of these security certificate errors in Chrome or other browsers, contact the website administrator.
Browse Google Chrome Safely
Follow the steps above and fix the security certificate error in Google Chrome. While you’re at it, let us know which trick worked for you in the comments section below.
Next: Are you getting notifications from Google Chrome frequently? Read the post below to learn how to turn off notifications from Google Chrome.
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