In another blog to educate you about cybersecurity, we will discuss SSL/TLS handshake failed errors. SSL/TLS Handshake can be defined as a process where the client and server establish secret keys and encryption algorithms by exchanging and validating each other’s digital certificates for communicating with each other securely.

However, during the handshake process, oftentimes, servers run into an error. Out of all, the ‘SSL handshake failed‘ is one of the most commonly faced ones. So, before we learn how to fix them, let us understand what the error means.

What is SSL Handshake Failed?

An error message comes up when a client or server cannot establish a secure convention. It is called the SSL Handshake Failed. It can happen due to multiple reasons- sometimes due to some issue at the client’s end and sometimes from the server’s end. 

The SSL Handshake Failed error message might come up due to different reasons based on the client application users are using or the server they are trying to connect with.

SSL Handshake Error due to Client-side:

• Incorrect date or time.
• Man-in-the-Middle
• Browser configuration

SSL Handshake Error due to server-side:

• Protocol Mismatch
• Cipher Suite Mismatch
• Incorrect SSL/TLS Certificate

Now that we know some of the reasons why SSL handshake fails let us look at some solutions.

What are the Fixes for ‘SSL Handshake Failed?’

Here are some reasons why ‘SSL handshake failed’ errors occur. First, let us talk about client-side errors.

Client-Side Errors and their Solutions:

1. Incorrect System Time

Though not always, the system clock differs from the actual time. This might not seem like a big deal, when you buy SSL certificates, it comes with a particular validity period, so the date and time of the system are crucial.

Solution: Change the system time and date correctly in case the system clock is not showing the correct time and date. However, if it is correct, there is no need to change it as the error is not in the System time.

2. Browser Error

It is not an error in any browser, but it might result from certain misconfigurations or a plugin.

Solution: Trying a different browser can be a solution. For example, if you are using Google Chrome, you can try Mozilla Firefox or any other such as Microsoft Edge or Apple Safari, if your operating system is Mac.

However, if you continue facing the issue, the issue may be in the plugin. In order to verify if this can be solved or not, disable all your installed plugins and reset to default browser settings.

3. Man-in-the-Middle

Generally, the MITM attack is interpreted as a criminal activity that is trying to harm or steal a user’s data. But it is not always like that. Often devices and programs come in the middle for inspection or various other reasons, such as load balancing. This is also sent with the application server called MITM.

Solution: If the issue arises from the client side, you can try exposing yourself. It can be done by changing your VPN settings or antivirus settings.

Server-Side Errors and their Solution

Typically, the SSL/TLS Handshake failure error arises due to issues in server-side issues. Some can be easily solved, while some cannot be. Let us check some of them.

1. Protocol Mismatch

If the SSL/TLS Handshake Failure error takes place due to protocol mismatch, it usually means the client and server do not exhibit mutual compatibility for the same version of the SSL/TLS.

Solution: When it comes to protocols and ciphers, it is often recommended to use the latest versions.

2. Cipher Suite Mismatch

A cipher suite issue is more or less the same as the Protocol Mismatch. SSL/TLS is not a single algorithm responsible for handling everything independently, but it is actually a combination of multiple algorithms that functions differently and work in sync to make up SSL/TLS. Earlier, SSL Cipher Suites had algorithms that handled signature hashing, symmetric session key encryption, asymmetric public key encryption, and key generation. However, TLS 1.3 has become more refined.

Today, various government agencies and organizations have different encryption standards as AES Encryption and DES Encryption, that themselves have different cipher suites, so often, the client having different options of cipher suites might result in SSL handshake fails. Having said that, it is less likely that a website only exhibits compatibility with a single cipher suite.

Solution: As protocol and cipher suite versions are more or less the same, one has to only move forward and never backward. It is because when a cipher suite or protocol version, for that matter, is deprecated, the reason behind it is not the SSL industry but because of a vulnerability. Therefore, going backward makes the connections less secure.

3. Incorrect SSL/TLS Certificate

There can be multiple reasons for a website to show that the SSL/TLS certificate is incorrect. Some of them are:

• Host Name Mismatch: In this error, the hostname does not match the CN in the certificate.
• Incorrect Certificate Chain: When the server cannot find the intermediate in the certificate chain, it shows an incorrect SSL certificate.

• Expired/Revoked Certificate: The server displays a message to the end-users that the SSL certificate used by the website owner is revoked, untrusted, or expired.
• Self-Signed Replacements: When you use a self-signed certificate on your website, the internal network or certificate replacements get confused with the path.

Solution: There are different fixes for different SSL issues. We have mentioned one for each.

• Host Name Mismatch: Always cover the domain names of all the websites when you are reusing a certificate across numerous subdomains
• Incorrect Certificate Chain: To return the root certificate and all intermediate certificates, you can deploy and configure your web server.
• Expired/Revoked Certificate: A simple fix for this is renewing the SSL certificates of your website. And if the budget is the issue for renewals, you can pick the low price SSL certificates from CheapSSLWeb.
• Self-Signed Replacements: If you want to use a self-signed certificate for your website, you can manually add the certificate to the trust store of the browser.

These are some of the issues that users come across while accessing a website. We hope the fixes we have provided will help you.

Summarizing

Often, site owners don’t take necessary actions unless they witness a problem that is usually ignored. Some of the client-side fixes for ‘SSL/TLS handshake failed’ might not work as, most of the time, the errors are from the server side. In such cases, inform the website owner and wait for them to get it solved.

The post How to Fix SSL/TLS Handshake Failed Error? appeared first on CheapSSLWeb.com Blog.