How to Resolve ERROR_SSL_UNEXPECTED_MESSAGE?

What is SSL UNEXPECTED MESSAGE Error?

The ERROR_SSL_UNEXPECTED_MESSAGE is one of the common SSL/TLS errors which may occur while the establishment of the secure connection between the client and server.

This occurs when an error message other than the usual ‘handshake completed’ message was received and therefore the SSL/TLS connection cannot be established.

Generally, SSL/TLS protocols involve a certain pattern of messages in order to establish secure communication, to authenticate both participants and to protect the data.

If the TLS Handshake is interrupted by an unexpected message then the connection fails and throws the ERROR SSL UNEXPECTED MESSAGE.

This error can enhance a number of occasions, for instance, a browser trying to access secure sites as well as applications which attempt to access secure servers.

This error can occur due to different reasons, such as certificates, protocols incompatibility and cipher suites. That is why knowing the primary cause is essential in order to work on it and solve the problem of creating insecure communication.

Common Causes

Common Causes Includes:

Expired or Invalid Certificates

The main and probably the most frequently encountered reason is an expired, non-existent or, in other words, invalid SSL/TLS certificate.

This may happen when the certificate has become expired, the client does not trust the certificate, or the certificate has been revoked.

Mismatched Certificate Names

Another reason for such a problem may be an inconsistency between the domain name and the CN in the SSL/TLS certificate. It is to be noted that the domain name should be an exact match to the CN mentioned in the certificate.

Also Read: How to Fix NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID?

Protocol Version Incompatibility

Employing outdated SSL/TLS erases could result in handshake errors. This may lead to a failure in connection when one or the other of the clients or servers do not support the versions of protocol older than v5.

Also Read: How to Fix ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH Error?

Insecure Cipher Suites

Cipher suites like RC4 or MD5, when out-of-date or weak spot, also create SSL/TLS errors, for example. Current security standards call for the application of secure ciphers such as AES-256.

Also Read: TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3 Supported Cipher Suites

Cached SSL States in Browsers

Issues with cached certificates or SSL/TLS settings on browsers also cause this error to occur. These problems can be solved by clearing the browser’s SSL state as pointed out above.

Proxy and VPN Interference

Many time proxy connections as well as VPN clients poison SSL/TLS connection, resulting in different types of handshake failure errors.

Malware

This makes the point that malware that targets the configurations of SSL/TLS can lead to the breakdown of the secure connections and thus resulting in the SSL UNEXPECTED MESSAGE.

Server Configuration Issues

Incorrect or improper configuration of the SSL/TLS on the server includes improper certificate paths or wrong versions of protocols that lead to handshake failure.

How to Fix ERROR SSL UNEXPECTED MESSAGE?

It is widely believed that the primary cause of ERROR_SSL_UNEXPECTED_MESSAGE is an SSL/TLS certificate that has gone bad on the server. Use these steps to check your certificates:

Verify Certificate Validity

For public certificates always check the expiration date for the given certificate and ensure that it is issued by a trusted CA. A simple and effective tool for inspection of an SSL Certificate is SSL Checker that can perform a check as well.

For the certificate that belongs to private/self-signed, ensure that the certificate has not expired and its corresponding domain name is the correct one. Make sure that the certificate is signed properly and the root CA is accepted.

Replace soon-to-expire certificates to avoid the error which results from their expiry. Create new CSRs and get a new certificate from your CA.

If the certificate returned is either Revoked or Untrusted then you have to obtain a new valid certificate and install it only then can resolve the problem.

Match Certificate Names Exactly

Another common cause is the difference between the domain name and the name in the SSL/TLS certificate – common name (CN).

Always ensure these names match precisely:

• On the server, cross check the domain name, for instance; www. example. com with the CN presented in the certificate including sub domains.
• If you’re a client, make sure the domain you accessed corresponds to the CN in the certificate. This means that one should clear his or her DNS cache to prevent any domain name mismatch stored in the DNS cache.
• If there is a mismatch of the name then create a new certificate with a proper or correct CN or domain name. You may require the certificate to have more than one subject alternate name.
• When a cert is issued for an internal server for private usage, hostnames and IPs accessed should match with the subjects.

Enable Newer TLS Versions

Some applications try to create connections with the servers using older SSL/TLS versions by default, which cause the error.

One should try experimenting and set the values to allow for new TLS versions such as 1.2 or 1.3:

• As for web servers, please update configuration files to allow TLS 1.2 and 1.3 and disable older protocols such as the TLS 1. 0/1. 1 which were before considered secure. Restart the server.
• On clients, verify security configurations in order to check if TLS 1.2 is enabled as a minimum version as the following parameters: Captive and Windows OS port could still have SSL v3 enabled on the Browsers.
• This means that it is good to check both the client and server support at least one standard TLS version to avoid potential connection failures. Look in the documentation from the vendors to know the version that it supports.

Disable Vulnerable Cipher Suites

It is also important to avoid the usage of weak encryption ciphers during SSL/TLS sessions as this might cause errors in establishing secure connections.

• On servers, disable such deprecated ciphers as RC4, 3DES, MD5 and SHA1. Choose fairly modern ciphers such as AES-128/256 bits and SHA256+ to encrypt your files. Services are restarted so that the changes may take effect.
• Security – For clients, upgrade the software to remove support for vulnerable ciphers – Toggle Security Options to use only secure cipher suites when available.
• Consider implementing TLS 1.3, which disables many insecure ciphers. Specify ECDHE for PFS key exchange.
• Check server/client encryption using a tool such as the SSL SERVER TEST to ensure that only strong ciphers are enabled.

Clear Browser SSL State

For errors occurring in web browsers, try clearing your SSL/TLS state to eliminate any problems with cached certificates or settings:

• In chrome go to ‘Settings’ > ‘Privacy and Security’  > ‘Clear browsing Data’ and there check ‘cached images/files, cookies, etc.’ and restart the browser.
• This procedure varies depending on the web browser used; for Firefox, go to Options, Privacy, and Security; scroll down to Clear SSL Form Session & Cookies, and click Clear.
• On safari browse to preferences, privacy, manage website data, and click on remove all. Restart Safari.
• If you’re using Internet Explorer go to Tools and select Internet Options from the Advanced tab. Click on Delete located in the option of Security tab and then. Restart IE.
• The following can be done on mobile browsers: On the settings, there is privacy and clear history, and Website data. Switch on Cookies, Cached Images etc.

Disable Proxy Connections and VPNs

Proxy connections created within the browser as well as VPN clients may disrupt SSL/TLS sessions occasionally leading to errors.

Try turning off these services temporarily:

• Disable all the browser proxy add-ons accurately and adjust the proxy setting from the tools section.
• If this option is allowed, then it is better to turn off the selection ‘Use a proxy server’ in the browser’s connection options. Then, test to open sites directly with no use of proxy.
• As with any tools that involve changing your IP address temporarily, make sure that VPN clients are not activated and there is no active VPN connection to access sites.
• Ensure antivirus tools that use ssl/tls interception or block secure connections are disabled.

Check for Malware on Your System

Viruses, spyware or rootkits can interfere with the SSL/TLS settings and make it difficult to establish secure connections.

Scan your system:

• Perform a virus scan to be sure the animal has not infected your computer. undefined
• If problems remain, attempt to rescan with dedicated anti-malware software such as Malwarebytes, ADWCleaner and other tools.
• Scan for any root certificates that have installed themselves on the system and uninstall any that are undesired. These can be used to intercept the traffic flowing through SSL.
• Check for signs of compromise of abnormalities in the system processes or network traffic, which may point to SSL/TLS interception.

Uninstall and Reinstall the Browser

If all else fails, completely uninstalling and reinstalling the browser can reset all SSL/TLS settings and certificates to default and potentially fix the error:

• Go to ‘Bookmarks’ and take a backup first, then uninstall and delete all browser files/folders. Restart system.
• One should download the latest version of browser installer from the official site and install it without affecting other parameters. Test error again.
• It is essential to have the browser updated and therefore look for updates on the browser to install if available. Ensure the browser is as updated as possible if it is not then update it because the hackers are not idle; they are devising new and more creative techniques each day.
• If an error is repeated across different browsers then that problem is with the server/site and not the configuration on the client’s browser.

Validate Proper Certificate Chains

For errors on the server side, first, verify your certificates are valid and appropriately chained:

• Ensure that your server certificate is properly signed and linked to a root CA certificate that your browser is likely to trust.
• Check if any intermediate certificates are stored on the server and install them if necessary. Open certificate/validate chain.
• An application such as an SSL Decoder can be used to review information about a certificate and a certificate path.
• Replace the expiring root or intermediate certificates if necessary, to stay trusted with the upcoming days with the chain.

Confirm Configuration Files

Check the server’s SSL/TLS configuration files for any issues with protocols, cipher suites, or certificate paths:

• In case of Apache servers, check for the settings in the SSL. In relation to this, the conf file will be compared with the SSL/TLS deployment best practices.
• For Nginx check the configuration in the .conf files under /etc/nginx/conf. d/ to the principles of organizing SSL in Nginx.
• For IIS, it is necessary to elucidate the system. That way, they need to check earlier the SSL/TLS misconfiguration in the webServer section of the server Configuration Editor.
• Make sure to have correct certificate paths and correct keys are being imported. Reverse check domain name and recall expiration dates.

Restart Related Services

If you made any configuration changes related to SSL/TLS settings, certificates, or protocols, make sure to restart the associated services to apply changes:

• Resume the web servers such as Apache and Nginx after ssl. conf or. The following are ways through which adjustments are made to the conf file in order to run new settings:
• For IIS resets, one has to either restart the IIS service or recycle the application pool pertaining to the site or application.
• For applications servers like exchange or SQL reload new certificates or protocol settings in application associated services like IIS, SMTP, MSSQLSERVER, etc.
• Services such as WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service must be stopped and started if changed.

Test From Multiple Clients (Cont.)

To confirm the issue is on the server side, verify you get the same error when trying to connect from multiple client systems and browsers:

• Please test from different physical computers and other devices. Instead of establishing the connection from a local area network, try with a mobile device in use of the cellular data.
• Try searching with different browsers available online such as Firefox, Chrome, Edge, etc on PC and mobile devices.
• When the issue is present in other systems, browsers and networks, then the problem is on the server.
• Significantly, compare the behavior for the relative sites on the same server. If one domain is not working, and other domains are working properly then the problem is related to that site or certificate.
• In many cases, it is due to intermittent errors meaning that people from different clients attempt to identify various log files of the servers.

Use SSL Diagnostic Tools

Specialized tools can provide diagnostics to pinpoint problems in SSL/TLS connections and certificate issues: Some of the Online SSL tools are as follows:

• SSL checker tool which is useful in grading server configuration and to find out the weakness point present on it.
• For further examination, it is possible to use such tools as OpenSSL – these tools can read on the raw connections and examine SSL/TLS sessions at the protocol level if necessary.
• It is possible to capture your server traffic in a packet analyzer such as Wireshark to discover the irregularities in the SSL exchange.
• Use a linter such as the SSLyze python tool to check for certificate issues and also verify the compatibility with different clients.

Contact Certificate Authority

If you are having issues with a certificate provided by a public certificate authority, reach out to their technical support, especially if the problem started after a recent renewal:

• Mentioned most of CAs – Comodo, DigiCert, Sectigo, GlobalSign and others – offer customer support, including tech support, for certificate issues around the clock.
• They can be beneficial in checking for gaps in intermediate certificates or even when keys in the certificates do not match or problems with installations on several servers.
• If necessary they should also be in a position to offer a corrected certificate to deal with the issue. You should provide your current certificate details at the time of contacting the support section.
• For the verification problems they help to prove the control over the domain and issue the new trusted certificates for your sites using the necessary level of validation.

Consult Your Platform Vendor

For errors limited to a specific app, system, or platform, check with the vendor or developer for SSL/TLS troubleshooting advice or updates:

• Windows for instance your server OS, Database, Web server softwares, programming languages such as php have forums/docs/support that can guide you diagnose hard SSL troubles.
• There could be new releases containing fixes to conkiered SSL implementations or enhancement of debug information produced during SSL operations.
• With custom apps and systems, the augmentation of TLS settings may be carried out by the vendor/developer or exceptions for transient errors may be coded or a new client library may be procured.
• They may also have temporary solutions in place for the peculiarities of the interaction between SSL/TLS on different platforms until stable versions are released.

Conclusion

Do not wait for your site to be under attack, Buy SSL certificates today. Protect your data and gain your customers’ trust in just one instant!