Tech News Today
  • Hardware
    • Motherboards
    • CPUs
    • Graphic Cards
    • RAM
    • SSDs
    • Computer Cases
    • Monitors
    • Peripherals
    • Power Supply Unit
    • PC Builds
    • Computer Tips
  • Software
  • Operating System
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
  • Gaming
  • Mobile
  • Console
  • More
    • Internet
    • Networking
    • Security
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Gadgets
    • Laptops
    • Reviews
    • How To
    • News
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Tech News Today
  • Hardware
    • Motherboards
    • CPUs
    • Graphic Cards
    • RAM
    • SSDs
    • Computer Cases
    • Monitors
    • Peripherals
    • Power Supply Unit
    • PC Builds
    • Computer Tips
  • Software
  • Operating System
    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
  • Gaming
  • Mobile
  • Console
  • More
    • Internet
    • Networking
    • Security
    • Buyer’s Guide
    • Gadgets
    • Laptops
    • Reviews
    • How To
    • News
Tech News Today
Home»Internet»How to Fix “ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH” Error

How to Fix “ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH” Error

Anup ThapaBy Anup ThapaSeptember 21, 2022
ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH

The ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error occurs on Chromium-based browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. On Firefox, you’ll encounter the SSL_ERROR_NO_CYPHER_OVERLAP error instead.

Regardless of the exact error code, the main reason you encounter this error is that the web server you’re trying to access uses outdated and insecure configurations like SSL or RC4.

As such, this issue can only be ‘fixed’ from the backend, but that’s not to say users can’t do anything about this. We’ve also detailed ways for users to bypass the error if you require it in this article.

Table of Contents

  • What Causes This SSL Error?
  • Ways to Fix ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH
    • Resolve Server-End Issues
    • Bypass SSL Warning
    • Downgrade TLS Version
    • Clear Browser Cache
    • Disable Antivirus/Firewall

What Causes This SSL Error?

As the error message suggests, the primary reason for this error is that the SSL version or cipher suite used by the site is no longer supported by your browser. Other common reasons for this error include:
  • Invalid SSL certificates
  • Issues with the site’s CDN
  • Corrupt SSL cache
  • SSL interception by antivirus

Ways to Fix ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH

Since the actual problem is with the ciphers used on the server side, the proper fix is to configure the web server correctly, so we’ve listed it first. But as this backend fix won’t be applicable to normal users, we’ve also listed other ways further in the article to fix or bypass this error in case of client-side issues.

Resolve Server-End Issues

If you aren’t already aware of your web server configurations, you can check them by pressing the padlock icon in the URL bar and selecting Connection is secure > Certificate is valid.

connection-is-secure

In the General and Details tabs, you can check the SSL Certificate Common Name, SSL Version, Certificate Signature Algorithm, and more. If you perform an online SSL test, you’ll receive even more info in an easy-to-digest form.

ssl-server-test

Regardless of how you check the configurations, though, the important thing is to make sure that your server doesn’t support an outdated TLS version or encryption method. You should also ensure that there isn’t a certificate name mismatch issue.

Depending on the CDN you’re using, there may be some misconfigured SSL-related settings that are leading to this error. For instance, in the case of Cloudflare, you need to turn on the Disable Universal SSL option to resolve this error.

disable universal ssl

Bypass SSL Warning

Most browsers don’t support outdated configurations like TLS 1.0 or non-HTTPS connections for a good reason. But there are some cases where you must access the site despite the security risk. For instance, you may need to access an old router or a WiFi device. In such cases, there are a few things you can do.

On Chrome, you can type thisisunsafe (all lowercase and no spaces) )while on the warning page to bypass the error and access the site.

The SSL Version Or Cipher Mismatch error is often limited to a specific browser. So, your second option is to try accessing the site with a different browser.

The third option, which ties into the previous one, is to use an old version of the browser. The reason switching browser works is that often, the secondary browser is outdated and still supports insecure configurations, which ultimately allows you to access the website.

We don’t freely recommend this due to security reasons, but if you must access the site, this is still an option to consider.

Downgrade TLS Version

Another way to bypass this error is by downgrading the minimum TLS version supported on your browser. But as we’ve said, making these changes lowers the security level of your browser and leaves you vulnerable to attacks.

As such, we recommend only making these changes to the secondary browser or simply reverting these changes after you’re done with the website you were trying to access. You could also use a TLS proxy. Or an even better alternative is to use a dedicated browser in a VM, but this may not always be feasible. 

In any case, if you do decide to downgrade the TLS version, here’s how you can do this on Chrome:

  1. First, close Chrome if it’s currently running.
  2. Right-click the Chrome shortcut you typically use and copy it.
  3. Right-click the new copy and select Properties.
    Google-chrome-properties
  4. In the Target field, add a space to the shortcut path and add the following commands at the end to set the min and max TLS versions:
    --ssl-version-min=<value>
    --ssl-version-max=<value>

    The accepted values are: “ssl3“, “tls1“, “tls1.1“, and “tls1.2“.
  5. Press OK to save the changes and use this shortcut to launch Chrome with the applied flags.
    ssl-version-min-tls1

On Firefox, you can follow these steps instead:

  1. Launch Firefox and enter about:config in the address bar.
  2. Accept the prompt and continue.
  3. Search for security.tls.version and change the min, max, and fallback-limits. The acceptable values are 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, which correspond to SSL3, TLS1, TLS1.1, TLS1.2, and TLS1.3, respectively.
    security-tls-version-firefox
  4. Restart the browser and check if you can access the site now.

Clear Browser Cache

If incorrect certificate information is cached by your browser, that can also cause SSL errors such as this one. You can test for this by trying to access the site in Incognito or Private mode, as it temporarily uses a fresh cache store. 

In case this turns out to be the issue, you can clear the SSL cache along with the browser cache. Here’s how you can do this on Chrome:

  1. Launch Chrome and press CTRL + Shift + Del.
  2. Change the Time Range to All time and press Clear Data.
    clear-cache-cookies-chrome

Here are the steps for Firefox:

  1. Launch Firefox and press CTRL + Shift + Del.
  2. Change the time range to Everything, select Cookies, Cache, Site settings, Offline website data, and press OK.
    clear-firefox-cache

Disable Antivirus/Firewall

In some cases, third-party antivirus or firewall tools have been found to intercept TLS certificates. These interceptors could be doing a number of things on the backend, from modifying certificate information to sending invalid ciphers to the browser, that’s ultimately causing this error.

As such, we recommend that you temporarily disable any third-party security tools that you’re using and then try to access the site. If the antivirus does turn out to be the issue, you should consider switching to a different antivirus or simply Windows Defender.

fix
Anup Thapa
  • LinkedIn

Anup Thapa is a tech writer at TechNewsToday. He mostly writes informative articles, tutorials, and troubleshooting guides related to Windows systems, networking, and computer hardware. Anup has been writing professionally for almost 5 years, and tinkering with PCs for much longer. His love for all things tech started when he got his first PC over 15 years ago. It was a Pentium IV system running Windows XP on a single 256 MB stick. He spent his formative years glued to this PC, troubleshooting any hardware or software problems he encountered by himself. Professionally, Anup has had brief forays into a variety of fields like coding, hardware installation, writing, etc. In doing so, he's worked with people of different backgrounds and skill levels, from average joes to industry leaders and experts. This has given him not just a versatile skillset, but also a unique perspective for writing that enables him to concisely communicate complex information and solve his reader's problems efficiently. You can contact him at anup@technewstoday.com

Related Posts

how to adblock on chrome

How to Block Ads on Google Chrome

January 26, 2023
how to open chrome extensions

How to Open and Use Chrome Extensions

January 25, 2023
how-to-open-and-use-chrome-settings

How to Open and Use Chrome Settings

January 16, 2023
gmail-notifications-not-working-iphone

Gmail Notifications Not Working on iPhone? 9 Ways to Fix It

January 7, 2023
Best 20 Websites to Cure Boredom

Best 20 Websites to Cure Boredom

January 3, 2023
google-docs-not-working

Google Docs Not Working? Here’s How to Fix It

December 27, 2022
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Latest Posts
how long does a cmos battery last

How Long Does a CMOS Battery Last

January 25, 2023
thunderbolt vs usb c

Thunderbolt Vs USB C: What’s the Difference

January 25, 2023
how to find hidden folder in laptop

How to Find Hidden Folder in Laptop

January 24, 2023
You may also like
Reset BIOS password

4 Ways to Reset BIOS Password

January 28, 2023
How to clean usb port 1

How to Clean USB Port on PC (Comprehensive Guide)

January 27, 2023
lenovo battery not charging

Lenovo Battery Not Charging? Try These Fixes

January 27, 2023
Recommended
Cookie Clicker Garden Guide

Cookie Clicker Garden Guide to Unlocking Every Seed

September 26, 2021
monitor no signal

Computer Turns On But Monitor Says No Signal (9 Ways To Fix)

November 10, 2022
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
© 2023 TechNewsToday.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.