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From: Mike Easter <MikeE@ster.invalid>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.os.linux,comp.os.linux.networking
Subject: Re: What do do? (forums.mtbr.com uses an invalid security certificate)
Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2017 07:41:30 -0700
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harry newton wrote:
> I just want to have a normal safe encrypted connection to this web site:
>   https://forums.mtbr.com/
> 
> But I get this error which is what I'm asking you about:
> http://i.cubeupload.com/pNM36t.gif

Optimally they should straighten out their certificate situation.

> The error in words is:
>   Your connection is not secure.
>   The owner of forums.mtbr.com has configured their website improperly.
>   To protect your information from being stolen, Tor Browser has
>   not connected to this website.
>   [Advanced]
>   forums.mtbr.com uses an invalid security certificate.
>   The certificate is only valid for the following names:
>   cloudfront.net,*.cloudfront.net
>   Error code: SSL_ERROR_BAD_CERT_DOMAIN
>   [Add Exception...]
> 
> Should I press "Add Exception"?
> All I want is to log into the site in a secure encrypted way.
> 
> I'm not sure what is the RIGHT thing to do.

Moz/Ffx has a pretty good page 
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/what-does-your-connection-is-not-secure-mean

Table of Contents
     What to do if you see this error?
     Technical information
         The certificate will not be valid until (date)
         The certificate expired on (date)
         The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate 
is unknown
         The certificate is not trusted because it is self-signed
         The certificate is only valid for (site name)
         Corrupted certificate store
     Bypassing the warning
     Reporting the Error

> What I did was press the button to download the certificate.
> Did I need to do that?

Only if you want to go someplace which has a screwed up certificate.

> Then I pressed the button to confirm the certificate.
> 
> After a bunch of warnings it let me in with dashes along the http.
> http://i.cubeupload.com/hUBZXl.gif
> 
> Did I do the right steps?
> How do I undo what I did if not?
> 
> Can someone just explain what is going on to a networking noob?

A site that is going to use https has to have a proper certificate or 
they shouldn't use https. If the site is using some certificate that 
isn't actually theirs to use, then they should straighten that out.


-- 
Mike Easter