Technology Encyclopedia Home >COS reports an error message `java.security.cert.CertPathValidatorException: Trust anchor for certification path not found` when using HTTPS. What should I do?

COS reports an error message `java.security.cert.CertPathValidatorException: Trust anchor for certification path not found` when using HTTPS. What should I do?

The error message java.security.cert.CertPathValidatorException: Trust anchor for certification path not found indicates that the Java application is unable to establish a trusted certificate chain when attempting to connect to a server using HTTPS. This typically happens when the certificate presented by the server is not signed by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) or when the CA certificates are not properly configured in the client's truststore.

To resolve this issue, you can take the following steps:

  1. Verify Server Certificate: Ensure that the server's SSL/TLS certificate is valid and issued by a trusted CA. You can use tools like OpenSSL to inspect the certificate:

    openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 -showcerts
    
  2. Update Truststore: Make sure that the Java application's truststore contains the necessary CA certificates. You can update the truststore by importing the missing CA certificates using the keytool utility:

    keytool -import -alias exampleCA -file exampleCA.crt -keystore cacerts
    
  3. Configure Truststore in Application: If your application uses a custom truststore, ensure that it is correctly specified in the application's configuration. For example, in a Java application, you might set the following system properties:

    -Djavax.net.ssl.trustStore=/path/to/truststore.jks
    -Djavax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=changeit
    
  4. Check Network Issues: Ensure there are no network issues preventing the client from reaching the server or intermediate CAs. Sometimes, firewalls or proxies might block access to certain certificates.

  5. Use a Managed Certificate Service: If you are hosting your application on a cloud platform like Tencent Cloud, consider using their managed certificate services. For example, Tencent Cloud's SSL Certificate Service provides free SSL/TLS certificates and integrates with various services like Cloud Load Balancer to simplify certificate management and reduce the likelihood of such errors.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the CertPathValidatorException and ensure secure HTTPS connections for your Java applications.