This morning, I tried to log into my credit union account and got a weird error message: net::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID. It also said, "You cannot visit this site right now because the website uses HSTS. Network errors and attacks are usually temporary, so this page will probably work later."
I've already done the usual troubleshooting—cleared my cache, history, and cookies; restarted all my devices; removed extensions; cleared HSTS settings on Chrome; checked my clock; and even tried incognito mode. This is happening on Chrome and Safari on both my Mac and iPhone, all of which are updated.
Does anyone have any suggestions for something a regular person like me can try to fix this? I called my credit union, and they just said they didn't know why this issue was occurring, which is concerning because they don't even have a tech department.
2 Answers
The error you're seeing means that your system doesn't trust the SSL/TLS certificate from that website. SSL/TLS certificates create secure connections to websites, and if your device doesn't recognize the Certificate Authority (CA) that issued the certificate, it throws that error. HSTS is there to ensure that the site is secure; it won't let you bypass the warning and visit the site insecurely.
Typically, this could be due to three reasons:
1. The website might not be set up correctly with a trusted certificate.
2. Your devices might be outdated and don't recognize the CA (especially if it’s new).
3. You could be connected to a network trying to intercept your traffic for various reasons, possibly even malicious ones.
In your case, since this is happening on multiple devices, it's probably something on their end.
Exactly, if it's happening across devices, it leans heavily on the website's configuration or a serious security issue on their part.
Considering it's affecting both your Mac and iPhone, it sounds like a problem on the credit union's side. If you’ve contacted them multiple times without getting answers, they may not be aware of a larger issue. You might want to keep trying to reach them or possibly warn others if you know anyone else using the same service, just in case.
Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely keep an eye on this and reach out to them again.
That makes sense. I ruled out the website being the issue since it's a credit union that would likely have others complaining if their server had problems. My devices are also up to date, and I'm not on a suspicious network, so I guess you're right—it could point to malicious intent.