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How to Overcome “This Site Can’t Provide a Secure Connection” Error: A Complete Guide

Home Blog workflow How to Overcome “This Site Can’t Provide a Secure Connection” Error: A Complete Guide
The ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR is a regular SSL problem that could stop you from getting to your own or other websites. Often, it shows up with a message that says “This site can’t provide a secure connection.” It could be because SSL is set up wrong on your computer or because of problems on the server side, or even both.  If you are having trouble with the error, this guide will show you how to fix it step by step. Read on to find out how to fix your website’s ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR. 

Why Does ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR Happen? 

When it can’t make an HTTPS link to your site, your browser shows “This site can’t provide a secure connection” or ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR. The most popular reasons why this happens are: 
  • Problems with the browser due to an invalid or expired SSL certificate 
  • Problems with setting up the local system 
  • Server problems 
  • If you’re looking for a way to make a difference, you’ve come to the right place 
Depending on which browser you use, this is the exact information you will see: 
  • “Your connection is not secure” says Firefox 
  • “Your connection is not private” or “This site can’t provide a secure connection” appear in Google Chrome 
  • Microsoft Edge says, “There is a problem with your website’s security certificate” 
  • If you’re looking for a place to get away, look no further 
Most browsers show the “Site Can’t Provide a Secure Connection” message for six reasons. 

No SSL Certificate Installed 

If the website doesn’t have an SSL certificate, the warning message might show up. This means you’re viewing it through an HTTP connection, and the target host sends all requests and responses in plain text.  The data isn’t encrypted, so third parties could pick it up and use it to find out what’s going on between the website host and a browser. There are a lot of things that can go wrong if you don’t know what you’re doing when you’re doing it. 

HTTPS is not a requirement for a website 

The problem could happen if you loaded the SSL certificate but didn’t turn on the option to force HTTPS. So, people will go to the HTTP form of the website instead of the secure URL. 

SSL Certificate is not good or has expired 

You might see this message if the website uses an SSL certificate that is invalid or has already expired. This means that the site is currently running over HTTP. 

SSL Cache in the Browser That Is Out of Date 

The website problem could be caused by an out-of-date or broken SSL cache in the browser. Most of the time, this happens when you are making new web pages or getting a new SSL certificate. 

The QUIC protocol is turned on 

By default, Google Chrome has the Quick UDP Internet Connections (QUIC) protocol turned on. It is used to shorten the time it takes to join, improve congestion control, make transporting more flexible, and do multiplexing without blocking the head of the queue.  But in some cases, it can cause SSL trouble, like the “Site Can’t Provide a Secure Connection” error. 

Time and date settings are wrong 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. During the process of authenticating a website certificate, wrong information can cause problems.  Because of this, the mistake happens. 

How to fix the error message “This site can’t provide a secure connection” 

You can fix the “Can’t Provide a Secure Connection” problem on a website now that you know why it happens.  Before you start, you should check your internet connection, turn off any Chrome extensions, and stop your security and firewall software from scanning SSL connections. There are a lot of ways to look at this, but I’ll try to keep it simple. 

  1. Install an SSL Certificate

If you own a website, one of the best ways to get rid of the “Can’t Provide a Secure Connection” message is to install an SSL certificate. Depending on who hosts the website, the way the extra layer of safety is set up may be different.  On cPanel, you can add an SSL certificate:  In the SSL area, click the Install free SSL button.  Choose a name, then click the Install SSL button.  When there is a green tick mark and the word Active next to the website address, the SSL has been set up properly. If not, make sure that the site points to Hostinger’s addresses.  This is a test to see if you can figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it. 

  1. Make sure you use HTTPS

By forcing HTTPS, people who visit your site will go straight to the safe URL as soon as they load it.  Here’s how you can force your site to use HTTPS:  On the cPanel home page, go to the Hosting page.  If you’re looking for a place to get away, look no further. Pick a name, click the button with three dots, and then click the Force HTTPS button.  You should be able to get to the page. Try the next step if the problem doesn’t go away. 

  1. Reinstall the SSL Certificate

If you want to make money online quickly and easily, you’ve come to the right place. Putting back on the SSL certificate is the best way to fix it. In cPanel, you need to do the following: 
  • Open the Hosting home page. 
  • Click on More and then SSL. 
  • Click the button with three dots, choose the name, and then click Reinstall. 

  1. Clear the browser’s cache and the SSL cache

If none of the above solutions work, try clearing the browser’s cookies and resetting the computer’s SSL cache. This is how you can start a new link.  Follow these steps to clear the SSL cookies on Windows: 
  • In the search box on the Windows tab, type “Control Panel.” 
  • You’ve come to the right place if you want to get away from everything. 
  • When the Internet Properties box comes up, click the Content tab and then click Clear SSL state. 
To clear data from the Google Chrome browser, click the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen, then click “More tools,” “Clear browsing data,” and “Clear browsing history.”  If you’re looking for a way to make a difference, you’ve come to the right place.  When you get the “Can’t Provide a Secure Connection” problem message, another common way to fix it is to turn off the QUIC protocol support in the Google Chrome browser.  Follow these steps to do it: 
  • Type chrome://flags/#enable-quic into the search bar. 
  • The Experimental QUIC protocol option is most of the time at the top of the page. 
  • Choose “Disabled” from the choice that drops down. 
When you start up the computer again, the changes will take effect. If turning off the protocol didn’t fix the problem, try something else. 

  1.  Check that the time and date are right

A key part of the authentication method is making sure that a certificate is real. When you think of a website, what comes to mind? If you are, it tells you that you are not signed in.  If they are wrong, it might look like the certificate is no longer valid. So, changing the settings is one of the best ways for site users to get rid of the “Can’t Provide a Secure Connection” message.  Follow these steps to make sure Windows, macOS, and other operating systems have the right date and time zone. 

Windows 

Click the Windows “Start” button, then click “Settings.”  You can choose the time and language.  Click the button that says “Set time automatically.” Do the same thing for the “Automatically set the time zone” option. Make sure the changes and settings are right by checking them. 

macOS 

From the menu bar, click “Apple” and then “System Settings.”  Choose General from the list on the left, then scroll down until you see Date & Time.  If you turn on Set time and date immediately, the time and date will be set right away. This is the place to stay if you want to be close to the airport.  Set the time zone automatically using your current location by turning on Set time zone automatically using current location. Turn off the choice, type in the closest city, and then pick its full name from the list to set it directly. 

Conclusion 

The message “The Site Can’t Provide a Secure Connection” appears when the SSL certificate, the QUIC protocol, or the operating system settings cause trouble for the browser. Each machine will get a slightly different message. Check your internet connection, turn off any Chrome extensions, and turn off your antivirus and firewall software for a short time before you try to fix the SSL problem.  Here is hoping that you have understood the article. In case of any doubts or queries, please share them with us in the comments section below.    
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