Industrial Product Manager: Strategy & Impact

What the warning means

When Chrome (or another browser) shows a “Your connection is not private” message, it’s telling you that the secure HTTPS connection to the site could not be verified. This can happen for several reasons, such as:

• The site’s SSL/TLS certificate is expired, mis‑configured, or not trusted.
• There is a mismatch between the domain you’re visiting and the domain listed on the certificate.
• Your connection is being intercepted (e.g., by a public Wi‑Fi hotspot, a proxy, or malware).

Steps you can take

1. Check the URL

   • Make sure you typed the address correctly (e.g., https://www.safran-group.com).
   • Look for subtle misspellings or extra characters that could indicate a phishing site.

2. View the certificate details

   • Click the padlock (or “Not Secure”) icon in the address bar.
   • Review the certificate’s expiration date, issuing authority, and the domain it covers.
   • If the certificate is expired or issued to a different domain, the warning is expected.

3. Try a different network

   • Switch from public Wi‑Fi to a trusted home or mobile network.
   • Some public networks inject their own certificates, which can trigger warnings.

4. Update your browser

   • Ensure Chrome (or your preferred browser) is up to date, as older versions may lack the latest root certificates.

5. Clear cached data

   • Go to Settings → Privacy & security → Clear browsing data.
   • Clear “Cached images and files” and “Cookies and other site data,” then reload the page.

6. Disable extensions temporarily

   • Some extensions (especially security or VPN tools) can interfere with certificate validation.
   • Disable them one by one to see if the warning disappears.

7. Contact the website

   • If you need to access the site and the warning persists, reach out to the site’s support or IT team.
   • They may be unaware of a certificate issue and can renew or reconfigure it.

8. Avoid proceeding if you’re unsure

   • If the site asks for sensitive information (passwords, credit‑card numbers, etc.) and the warning remains, do not continue.
   • Use an alternative, verified method to contact the organization (e.g., phone or official email) to confirm the site’s status.

When it might be safe to proceed

• You recognize the site, have visited it before without issues, and the warning is only about a minor certificate mismatch (e.g., a self‑signed certificate on an internal corporate portal).
• You have verified the certificate details and are confident the connection is not being intercepted.

Even in those cases, it’s best to inform the site’s administrators so they can fix the underlying certificate problem.

Additional resources

• Google’s guide on “Understanding SSL errors”: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/6098869
• Mozilla’s “How to diagnose and fix SSL/TLS errors”: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Connection_management_in_HTTP/SSL_errors

If you continue to see the warning on multiple reputable sites, consider scanning your device for malware or checking your system’s date and time settings (incorrect clocks can cause certificate validation failures