Guide on How to Fix the ‘Warning: Potential Security Risk Ahead’ in Firefox (2024)

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SEC_ERROR_EXPIRED_CERTIFICATE

MOZILLA_PKIX_ERROR_SELF_SIGNED_CERT

SEC_ERROR_REVOKED_CERTIFICATE

If you’re seeing any of the abovesecurity warnings while visiting a website on the Mozilla Firefox browser, thisarticle will guide you through seven ways you can still use the site despite receivingany of these error messages.

However, there are some things youshould know before applying these tricks:

• This article is intended for websitevisitors. If you’re a website owner, please click on the particular error messageabove you are seeing for your website and follow the different set of stepsmentioned in those articles.
• As a website visitor, you can’t solve the error,but you can force your browser/operating system to ignore it.
• Follow these solutions only when youare absolutely certain that the website, you’re visiting is safe.

Before we begin, make sure the date and time on your device are accurate. For computer users, you can see this information displayed on the right side of your task bar at the bottom of your screen. Incorrect date/time settings can cause a variety of errors. If it’s not set properly, right-click on the date/time and select Adjust time/date. Set the right time and date there.

Fix the “Secure Connection Failed” Error in Mozilla Firefox

These tricks will help you to get ridof the “SEC_ERROR_EXPIRED_CERTIFICATE,” “MOZILLA_PKIX_ERROR_SELF_SIGNED_CERT,”and “SEC_ERROR_REVOKED_CERTIFICATE” errors in Firefox.

You don’t necessarily need to perform all of these tricks. Just keep applying them one by one until the error message no longer displays.

1. Continue With an Insecure Connection

Some errors will allow you to accept the risk and continue. You can continue with the insecure connection at your own risk:

• Click on Advanced.
• Click on Acceptthe Risk and Continue.

Note: This trick will not work for the “SEC_ERROR_REVOKED_CERTIFICATE” and other sort of serious errors. If you don’t see this option, move on to the next solution.

2. Add the Site to Your List of Trusted Sites

• Search for Internet Options in the Windows search bar.
• In the pop-up window, click on the Security tab.
• Select Trusted sites.
• Click on the Sites button to open a new window.
• Manually add the URL of the website that is displaying the error message.
• Click Apply and OK.

3. Temporarily Disable Your Antivirus and Firewall

Someantivirus and firewall solutions are sensitive to SSL errors. To address thisissue, all you need to do is turn off HTTPS scanning. All antiviruses havedifferent SSL scanning under different names. Find the appropriate setting suchas “HTTPS Scanning,” “Scan SSL”, “show safe result,” “Do not scan encryptedconnections,” etc.,and disable it.

Ifyou don’t see any such options, visit the manufacturer’s help section and try tofind SSL- and HTTPS-related settings information there.

4. Clear the SSL State

• Search for Internet Options in the Windows search bar.

• In the pop-upwindow, select the Content tab.
• Click on Clear SSL State to clear your SSL cache.

5. Clear Your Browsing History

• Open Firefox and navigate to Options in the top-right drop-down menu.
• Go to Privacy and Security from the menu bar on the left side.
• Click on Clear Data in the Cookies and Site Data section.
• Select Clear History.
• Select all the options and click on Clear Now.

6. Permit Firefox to Trust Root Authorities

Firefox has an optional feature that allows the browser to trust root authorities in the Windows certificate store. To activate this feature, you must enable the setting in your browser.

• Type “about:config” into the Firefox address bar.
• Press the Iaccept the risk! button.
• Search forsecurity.enterprise_roots.enabled.

• In the security.enterprise_roots.enabledwindow, look to the right side of the screen. If the value is False, double-clickon it. The value will get changed to True.
• Restart Firefox.
• If you still seethe error message, move to the next solution.

7. Change Your Security Settings

• Type CommandPrompt or CMD into the Windows search bar.
• Right-click onCommand Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

Type in these three commands, hitting Enterafter each one:

Regsvr32softpub.dll

Regsvr32Wintrust.dll

Regsvr32 Wintrust.dll

• Reboot yourcomputer. The changes will be saved.