Untrusted Connection

[Vulcan59]

While doing a search using Google, I saw a link back to the forum. I click on it and I got the image attached below. Was using FireFox. Not sure if this means anything but I thought I put it up here.

 

[Bobo08]

Hi Vulcan,

It's because that link is using https (secure connection) and the security certificate of cassiopaea.org is not proper. I remembered that the security certificates for both Cass and Sott are self-issued because it costs a lot of money to get it from the proper authority and it is no better than the self-issued one.

Anyway, I don't think we need to use the secure connection for either Cass or Sott. Just switch to the normal http connection and the warning will disappear.

 

[Vulcan59]

Hi Bobo08,
I understand the security issue. So the question is why would the link have https when both Cass and Sott use "self issued one" as you put it?
Is it possible that someone is "inventing" those links to deter potential members?

 

[sid]

That could be a problem with the link itself. Where did you click to reach that address? Ignore the warning, all browsers have different ways of wording it. All that means is that Cass or Sott are using self-signed certificates (fully secure, 0 cost). Whereas to make that error message disappear you need to have "www.cassiopaea.org" added to your "root certificates". Out of the box, each browser will have a list of root certificate authorities pre-installed (the ones you pay to get a 3rd party signed certificates), have a look under Firefox - Tools - Advanced - View certificates. And because https uses encrytion it is often used for transfer of sensitive information such as credit card check-outs, online banking and other e-commerce etc. That would also imply that end-users can be duped into believing any "https with self-signed certificate" link to be safe and conned into supplying sensitive and personal data. Therefore, all browsers are designed to warn user about self-signed certificates which are simply secure certs signed by unknown authority (unknown to the browser). Although this is also true that it's not that hard to obtain a valid signed-certificate for nefarious purposes. Made sense?


Cheers

Sid

 

[Skyfarmr]

Getting ""untrusted connection" message for cass.org address (?)

I was searching google for information on the earthquake that was centered around Dekalb, IL last week, which we were able to feel 60 miles away in southern WI, at 4:10 am ( i was fast asleep and didn't wake to it, but friend who lives close by awoke right before its effects were felt and heard...then her roosters crowed and the sun wasn't up yet) Anyway, I was searching this morning for any articles on the quake and 5 hits came up on google (cass website checked) and when I clicked on the link for "Sarah Palin, the Christian Right and Fascism in America" https://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=9539.0 I got a message reading(I'm copying and pasting):

This Connection is Untrusted
You have asked Firefox to connect
securely to www.cassiopaea.org, but we can't confirm that your connection is secure.



Normally, when you try to connect securely,
sites will present trusted identification to prove that you are
going to the right place. However, this site's identity can't be verified.

What Should I Do?


{then a link here saying: Get Me Out of Here]


If you usually connect to
this site without problems, this error could mean that someone is
trying to impersonate the site, and you shouldn't continue.


Technical Details

www.cassiopaea.org uses an invalid security certificate.

The certificate is not trusted because it is self-signed.
The certificate expired on 8/3/2009 4:35 PM.

(Error code: sec_error_expired_issuer_certificate)

End of warning....

I have been browsing the forum and sott.net for almost 45 minutes, using google search at least a couple of times, checking out various cass links and it wasn't until I tried the above link (Palin...) that I got this message on the browser. Can someone else see if this message comes up when they click on this link?
I didn't continue, but thought this quite odd that it was only this link AND it being connected to Sarah Palin article ( I don't know why this hit would have come up on my "earthquake Illinois 2010" search, either (?)).
Thanks!

 

[RedFox]

Re: Getting ""untrusted connection" message for cass.org address (?)

Hi Skyfarmer
Your link https://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=9539.0 has an addition S (for secure connection) in the http part.
Try using http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=9539.0 instead. :)