Security Certificate Errors: Name Mismatch in Web Browser
"The security certificate presented by this website was issued for a different website's address."
- Internet Explorer 7
"www.example.com uses an invalid security certificate."
"The certificate is only valid for the following names: www.otherdomain.com , otherdomain.com"
- Firefox 3
This warning is presented by a web browser when accessing a website that has a security certificate installed (for data encryption) that was issued to a domain other than the one being accessed.
The common name to which an SSL certificate is issued (e.g., www.example.com) should exactly match the name displayed in the URL bar. Any difference will cause the web browser to halt browsing and throw up a name mismatch error. This error can happen even if the correct certificate is installed properly if you are connecting via the IP address or an internal name when the certificate was issued to the fully-qualified domain name (or vice versa).
It is also possible that a self-signed certificate be installed instead of a server-specific security certificate issued by a certificate authority (like DigiCert), or that the domain name was mistyped/misspelled in the request.
If your website is secured by a certificate with the name www.example.com you will receive a name error if you connect using any of the following names:
- example.com
- example.local
- 208.77.188.166
- 10.1.1.7
Even though the above addresses could all get you to a site with a valid certificate, you could still get a name error if you are connecting to a name other than the one that the certificate was issued to.
DigiCert's Unified Communications Certificates were designed to resolve that problem by allowing for one certificate to be issued to multiple names (including fully-qualified domain names, hostnames, server names, or IP addresses).
To check your certificate for a name error, we recommend using our SSL Certificate Checker by entering the domain in question into the box that says "Server Address." If the certificate name does not match, you will get an error message stating "Certificate does not match name example.com".
The exact errors provided by some of the different web browsers are below.
"Information you exchange with this site cannot be viewed or changed by others. However, there is a problem with the site's security certificate."
"The name on the security certificate is invalid or does not match the name of the site"
"Do you want to proceed?"
- Internet Explorer 6
"There is a problem with this website's security certificate."
"The security certificate presented by this website was issued for a different website's address."
"Security certificate problems may indicate an attempt to fool you or intercept any data you send to the server."
- Internet Explorer 7
"www.example.com uses an invalid security certificate."
"The certificate is only valid for the following names: www.otherdomain.com , otherdomain.com"
- Firefox 3
"You have attempted to establish a connection with "www.site.com". However, the security certificate presented belongs to "www.othersite.com". It is possible, though unlikely, that someone may be trying to intercept your communication with this web site."
"If you suspect the certificate shown does not belong to "www.site.com", please cancel the conncetion and notify the site administrator."
Dealing With Security Certificate Errors: Web Browser Name Mismatch
Learn how to troubleshoot a Name Mismatch Error in your web browser.
