Another dumb computer question.

[jttheclockman]

I am trying to get on Woodnet forum and all of a sudden 2 days ago I get a message that I can not access because my computer clock is off. It states the exact time my computer states so how can the clock be off?? How do I overcome this?? Thanks.

 

[magpens]

I get a similar problem when I try to access Woodnet. . Here is a copy of the screen text displayed for me with my browser (Firefox) ...

"Warning: Potential Security Risk Ahead

Firefox detected an issue and did not continue to www.woodnet.net. The website is either misconfigured or your computer clock is set to the wrong time.

It's likely the website's certificate is expired, which prevents Firefox from connecting securely. If you visit this site, attackers could try to steal information like your passwords, emails, or credit card details.

What can you do about it?

The issue is most likely with the website, and there is nothing you can do to resolve it. You can notify the website's administrator about the problem."

 

[egnald]

John,

Usually this kind of thing comes from secure web sites (https://) that occasionally use certificates that are only valid for a limited amount of time. If a website presents such a certificate that doesn't match the date and time (UTC - Universal Time Coordinated) the web browser (especially Firefox) will present some kind of Date/Time error page. Sometimes it has to do with the clock on the website not being correct or with the certificate that is being sent out.

If it is not the website certificate itself, it could be that the computer clock is set incorrectly. Even though the time on your computer being displayed may be correct, if the Time Zone setting and/or Daylight Savings Time setting on your computer is not correct, the UTC which is calculated from the time being displayed and the time zone setting may not be correct.

For example, my computer clock right now says 10:05 PM and my Time Zone is UTC-06:00 which is Central Time in the USA, and we are in Daylight Savings Time, so, my UTC is Thursday, July 27, 2021 3:05 AM.

10:05 PM: Computer Clock + 6 Hours UTC Time Zone = 4:05 AM - 1 Hour Daylight Savings Time = 3:05 AM UTC.

I think it is most likely a problem on the server side, but the Date, Time, Time Zone, and Daylight Savings Time settings on your computer is something that you can check.

Good Luck and Best Regards,
Dave

PS The network server where I used to work stored files using the local time in Singapore, so to figure out when I saved something I had to do some conversions using my time zone UTC-06:00 and the time zone in Singapore UTC+08:00.

 

[jttheclockman]

Well if Mal is having same problem then I guess it is on their side. I am not having any problems with any other sites I visit. Will wait it out and see if they fix it if more people call them or contact them. Thanks.

 

[monophoto]

John

I also get that error message.

the problem is with the site - there is nothing that anyone can do until someone at their end addresses the problem.

 

[goldendj]

the problem is with the site - there is nothing that anyone can do until someone at their end addresses the problem.

Depending on the browser you can override the warning. Firefox, for example, has an "advanced" link on the warning page that lets you accept and continue. If you're confident that it's the correct site that just let their certificate expire, go ahead.

 

[jeff]

It's their SSL certificate. Their root domain is ok, but their forums subdomain is not.

 

[TimMc]

I am trying to get on Woodnet forum and all of a sudden 2 days ago I get a message that I can not access because my computer clock is off. It states the exact time my computer states so how can the clock be off?? How do I overcome this?? Thanks.

I use Google Chrome as my browser. I tred your link and had no trouble connecting.

 

[jttheclockman]

Thank you all. They must have fixed their problem. They are up and running again.

 

[GaryMGg]

They do this a lot—they keep replacing their expired certificates with short life certs.

 

[rherrell]

Quit using Firefox, they are not your friend.

 

[Bats]

Quit using Firefox, they are not your friend.

Less likely than Chrome to track you and sell your browsing habits to advertisers, though.

 

[penicillin]

It's their SSL certificate. Their root domain is ok, but their forums subdomain is not.

I tested their website from three different operating systems (Mac, Linux, and Windows) and four different browsers. I tested from multiple locations around the world. Their current certificate setup works as of 29 July 2021, but their certificate configuration is confusing to me.

The home page: https://www.woodnet.net
... is secured with a Let's Encrypt certificate. That certificate was issued two days ago, 27 July 2021.
Let's Encrypt certificates are free, but they are good only for 90 days. A typical installation has a setup where the Let's Encrypt certificate is automatically renewed. I wonder whether they have their Let's Encrypt certificate management configured correctly and working properly.
Subject Names: forums.woodnet.net, woodnet.net, www.forums.woodnet.net, and www.woodnet.net

The forums page (and the pages below that with threads, etc.): https://forums.woodnet.net
... are secured with an Amazon certificate issued 22 January 2021.
Subject Names: woodnet.net, and *.woodnet.net (a wildcard)

I have never visited the site until today, but I noticed old threads from 2020 about certificate expiration issues. One thread was dated 2 February 2020, and another thread dated 3 May 2020. That's exactly 90 days apart, so circumstantial evidence suggests that they have issues with Let's Encrypt certificate renewal. Just a hunch.

The website is hosted through multiple Amazon servers. As of this writing:
woodnet.net and www.woodnet.net are hosted at 23.23.51.128 in Virginia, USA
forums.woodnet.net is hosted at 13.226.214.4, 13.226.214.116, 13.226.214.38, and 13.226.214.9 in California, USA

 

[jeff]

Seems like they just installed the cert for the forums host. It was unsecured when I checked.

I would think a site the size of woodnet would avoid those free certs. They need to tweak their SSL config overall, too.

 

[jttheclockman]

The problem I ran into when I first posted this was not the first time I had problem with their site. I have seen this before.