Amy Myers How many times have you tried accessing a website, only to have the “This Site Can’t Provide a Secure Connection” error pop up? Whether you’re a visitor, or the website owner, seeing this error might be alarming. Due to its nature, it might be slightly deceptive as well.
Occasionally, this error will clear out with a single refresh of the website, but more often than not, it’ll require some additional troubleshooting.
Key points
- SSL certificates enable encrypted, secure website connections.
- Common issues include invalid SSLs, incorrect time, outdated caches, and server misconfigurations.
- Errors appear differently in different browsers.
- Solutions include updating SSLs, clearing caches, enforcing HTTPS, and adjusting DNS or software settings.
What is the “this site can’t provide a secure connection” error?
A secure connection error is one of the most common errors you’ll encounter when browsing the web. Due to its complexity, browsers sometimes won’t be able to provide precise additional information about it. It might refer to anything from internet connection issues to the misconfiguration of SSL on the website you’re trying to visit.
Most browsers will have one general message for most unsecured connection errors, presented in large text, with additional smaller text below it explaining the specifics of the error.
A lot of people might recognize the “This site can’t provide a secure connection” error because that’s how it’s labeled in Chrome, with its eye-watering 66% market share:
In Firefox, the general message says “Secure Connection Failed,” with the error-specific information below:
Another question that might be coming to your mind is: What is a secure connection to a website?
It’s simply a connection to a website that enables encrypted communication between your browser and the server the website is hosted on. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the technology that makes this encryption possible, ensuring that any data you send or receive is kept private and secure from outside interference.
The encrypted connection is enabled if a website has a valid SSL certificate installed on it. The SSL certificate needs to be issued by a certificate authority, and it needs to be issued specifically for the domain name the website you’re trying to access is using.
There are different types of SSL certificates, and they are crucial for websites that contain sensitive information about their clients, such as names, addresses, payment information, or contact information.
If it’s unable to check the website’s SSL certificate, the browser will not be able to establish a secure connection and will return the error in question. To put it simply, a secure connection error will show up if the server claims the website you’re accessing is HTTPS compliant but doesn’t provide proof for it.
Occasionally, the issue might be caused by the server on which the website is hosted. If you’re the owner of the website, troubleshooting server connection errors is a useful skill to have.
What causes the secure connection error?
The error message may seem simple, but the underlying causes can vary widely. As you’ll soon discover, it can even occur when the website you’re trying to connect to is secure, but the actual connection isn’t.
Incorrect time and date settings
SSL/TLS certificates are time-sensitive, relying on accurate timestamps to verify their validity. If your device’s date and time are off, your browser won’t be able to confirm the certificate’s status, leading to blocked connections.
It’s a simple misstep, but it effectively breaks the trust system that secures online communication.
Missing SSL certificate
The website you’re trying to access, and its web server, might not have an SSL certificate installed. This will cause an HTTP connection (not secure) to the server, and all information exchanged between your browser and the server will be in plain text. This might expose both you and the website to malicious attacks depending on the type of information exchanged.
For example, if you were entering credit card information that got intercepted, this would harm you more than the server hosting the website.
Invalid or expired SSL certificate
The SSL certificate that’s installed on the website you’re accessing might not have been issued for the domain the site is currently using. If the SSL installed was issued for another domain, the browser will return an error mentioning a non-secure connection.
Alternatively, the SSL certificate that’s installed on the website you’re accessing might have expired altogether. All SSL certificates are issued for a particular amount of time, and once it passes, the certificates are no longer valid. To check if your certificate is still valid, use an SSL certificate checker.
Outdated SSL cache in browser
An outdated SSL cache in your browser can create mismatches between stored security data and the current state of a website’s certificate. When this happens, the browser may interpret valid certificates as invalid, leading to connection errors.
Certain extensions that interact with web traffic can compound the issue by introducing conflicts or failing to recognize updated security states.
Similarly, a cluttered browser cache may hold onto outdated certificate information, bypassing fresh validation checks.
Chrome’s QUIC protocol, designed for faster connections, can further complicate things by caching SSL data in ways that bypass traditional HTTPS flows. These factors disrupt the handshake process, where your browser and the server confirm the connection’s security.
HTTPS connections are not forced
Browsers might still show this error even if the correct and valid SSL certificate is installed on a website you’re visiting. This happens if the server hosting the website in question does not force HTTPS connections and allows information to be exchanged in plain text.
7 ways to fix a secure connection error
Addressing this error requires understanding and tackling the various factors that can disrupt a secure connection. Here are some effective ways to resolve it and ensure your browsing experience remains safe.
1. Check your internet connection
If you’re just visiting someone else’s website and see this error, you can try checking your Internet connection. Sometimes, cached pages will show up, even though a live connection doesn’t exist.
2. Check the SSL certificate on your server
Modern browsers give anyone the ability to check the validity of websites’ SSL certificates in a single click. All you need to do is visit any website and click on the padlock icon in the address bar.
On Firefox, here’s what it looks like on a site with a valid SSL certificate:
In contrast, here’s what you get on a site with an expired certificate:
If your site throws up an unsecured connection error because its SSL certificate is invalid or expired, you’ll need to update it or install a new one. The exact steps will vary between hosting providers and control panels, so check with yours first.
Just so you get an idea of what to expect, here’s what the process looks like in cPanel:
1. Go to Tools > Security > SSL/TLS.
2. From the menu on the right, click on Generate, view, upload, or delete SSL certificates.
3. Follow the instructions and enter the information required to upload or generate a certificate. If you’re generating a certificate, save the .crt file, then open it with a text editor, copy everything, and paste it into the relevant text box. Otherwise, you can upload the .crt file. The choice is yours.
3. Clear your browser and SSL cache
Clearing your local cache forces your device to update the information it’s using to connect to the problem website.
The first step should be clearing your browser cache. How you do this varies between browsers, so you should consult the docs for the one you’re using, but here’s how to do it in Chrome:
- Click the three vertical dots at the top right corner of the window.
- Select Delete browsing data.
- Choose a time range, one that covers a time before you first visited the problem site.
- Select cookies and whatever other site data you want to clear, then click Delete data.
The next step is a little more complicated because it involves deleting the SSL cache on your device. On macOS, you can do this from the Terminal app by running the following command:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcacheWindows offers a similar function, which you can access by following these steps:
1. Hit Windows + R to bring up the Run app.
2. In the command text area, type inetcpl.cpl and hit Enter to open the Internet Properties section.
3. Switch to the Content tab then click on Clear SSL state.
4. Temporarily disable your antivirus or firewall
Depending on the type of device you’re using and the access you have to it, it’s possible you might have various security programs installed that could limit access to the site for a browser.
Temporarily disabling antivirus software or firewall programs to determine if that is the issue can help until the problem is resolved. Go through your antivirus solution’s documentation to figure out exactly how to do this.
5. Check DNS settings and force an HTTPS connection
It’s possible that there were DNS changes made to your website since you last opened it within a browser.
The easiest way to check would be by using an online tool like Complete DNS, where you paste the URL and run the evaluation. Here’s what a DNS history check looks like for microsoft.com:
Forcing all connections to your site to use HTTPS should also resolve the issue for most users.
You can do this on an Apache server by adding the following code to your .htaccess file:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]On NGINX, add the following code to your server block:
server {
listen 80;
server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}Go through your existing links and update anything hardcoded with HTTP to use HTTPS so you avoid mixed content errors.
6. Turn off QUIC protocol support
Chrome’s QUIC protocol is built for speed, but it handles SSL/TLS differently than standard HTTPS. That difference can sometimes cause conflicts with outdated certificates or cached data, breaking the secure handshake and triggering connection errors.
Disabling QUIC forces Chrome to fall back to standard HTTPS, providing a more predictable SSL negotiation and resolving those conflicts.
To turn it off, type chrome://flags into the address bar and hit Enter. In the Available tab, find the option marked Experimental QUIC protocol and change its setting to Disabled.
💡 This exact process also works on other Chromium browsers like Edge and Brave.
7. Check the date and time settings
SSL/TLS certificates rely on accurate timestamps to verify their validity. If your device’s clock is wrong, the browser can’t confirm the certificate’s status.
Most modern devices automatically set the time and date based on your location, but this feature isn’t foolproof – when it misses, your secure connection takes the hit.
To manually set the date and time on macOS:
- Go to System Settings > General > Date & Time.
- Toggle Set time and date automatically off.
- Authorize when prompted.
- Click on the Set button that appears to the right of Date and time and make the changes.
To manually change the date and time on Windows:
- Click on the date and time from the right corner of the taskbar.
- Click on Date and time settings at the bottom of the calendar.
- Toggle the Set time automatically off.
- Click on the Change button that’s now ungrayed under Set the date and time manually, and make the changes.
Ironically, this could make you more prone to the very error you’re trying to fix, especially if you’re traveling between different time zones often or you’re in a region with daylight savings.
To prevent this, update the date and time in response to significant changes. Alternatively, toggling the option to automatically set the date and time off then back on forces your device to sync with a reliable server, which is the preferred option.
Final thoughts
Whether you’re the owner of a particular website or a visitor, one of the most important things we look for when interacting with any website is that padlock in the address bar that promises a layer of security for any data exchanged.
Seeing the padlock missing is alarming in itself. Seeing the website you’re trying to interact with inform you that it’s unable to provide a secure connection at all can be frightening – especially if you’ve entered personal information on this website, or if it’s a client of yours informing you of a flaw on your website.
Even though browsers don’t necessarily provide all the information we need to resolve the Secure Connection error, it might comfort you to know these can be resolved both on the server and the client end.
In case you’re hosting a website with Liquid Web and encounter a similar issue, our support team is available 24/7/365 and will be happy to help. And with Liquid Web’s managed hosting for WordPress, you’ll also enjoy the added benefit of free SSL certificates that automatically renew for the lifetime of your service, ensuring your site stays secure with minimal effort on your part!
Note on the original publish date: This blog was originally published in May 2023. It has since been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.