In some cases, visitors receive the SSL_ERROR_BAD_CERT_DOMAIN problem when trying to access an SSL-protected website, including the user’s own. You may run into this difficulty if the website you’re trying to access has an SSL Certificate configuration fault.
This message is displayed when the SSL certificate is invalid for the domain you are trying to access. This error is typically reported in Firefox.
Method 1: Verifying The Accuracy of The URL
To begin, let’s double-check that the address you entered into the browser’s address bar is the proper one for the website you’re attempting to visit. A number of people have reported having this problem after incorrectly assuming an HTTP website was secure (and hence only accessible over HTTPS).
Keeping this in mind, please delete the “S” from HTTPS in your browser’s address bar. If the address of the website is https://example.com, you should change it to http://example.com.
However, keep in mind that HTTP websites are no longer considered safe, even if this method does allow you to visit and explore the site. If you own the website, you should switch to HTTPS and install an SSL certificate to protect your visitors’ data. If you find that a certain method is not working for you, you can always try the one below it.
Method 2: Remove All Tracking Cookies and Cache From Your Browser
If you’re sure the SSL certificate is set up correctly, but the homepage is still not loading, it could be because your browser is using a cached version of the page.
If this happens to you, try clearing your browser’s cookies and cache. For those who use Firefox and have run into the SSL_ERROR_BAD_CERT_DOMAIN problem, here’s a quick rundown on how to delete the browser’s cookies and cache:
Step 1: You may access the Library in Firefox by opening the browser, clicking the Action button (top right), and selecting Library.
Step 2: Then, clear your browser’s history by going to its settings and selecting that option.
Step 3: In the Clear Recent History window, select Everything for the Time range to clear, and deselect all options except Cookies, Cache, and Offline Website Data.
Step 4: Simply click the Clear Now button to remove everything from your selection.
Step 5: If the problem still persists after that, try restarting the Firefox browser.
Method 3: Check the SSL Certificate’s Validity.
Any website’s certificate can be retrieved in Firefox, along with details such as the issuing organisation and expiration date. This will tell you if the SSL_ERROR_BAD_CERT_DOMAIN error is caused by a certificate that has expired.
Click the “I understand the Risks” button to confirm the certificate information. Follow this by selecting Get Certificate after clicking Add Exception. After that, a summary of the SSL certificate issues will be provided to you.
If you click View, you’ll be able to see much more information. Next, you’ll see the SSL certificate’s validity time and be able to tell if the problem arises because the certificate has expired.
Our inquiries, hopefully, led you to the cause of the error. You should have your SSL certificate set up for both the www and non-www versions of the domain if it is your own website.
If a person attempts to access your website by entering https://www.example.com, but your certificate is only set up for example.com, the user will receive the SSL_ERROR_BAD_CERT_DOMAIN error. The answer is to include both www.example.com and example.com on the certificate.
If you don’t run the site and you’ve verified (using the steps above) that you’re using a valid URL to access the site, then you should get in touch with the site’s administrator and request that they look into the matter.
