- Software and digital services
- Web browsers
ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID
ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID in Google Chrome: untrusted certificate
Risk level
Medium
Proceed carefully and stop if the check is unclear.
Urgency
Medium
Quick answer
The site presented a certificate signed by an authority Chrome does not trust. Do not enter data. Sign in to the portal if you are on public Wi-Fi and, on a work computer, ask your administrator.
Safety first
Stop and check this first
- While this warning shows, do not type passwords, card details or personal data: Chromium allows for the possibility that someone substituted the certificate.
- Do not install a certificate yourself to make the warning go away; if a page or message asks you to, check with the administrator first.
Safe checks you can perform
- Wi-Fi sign-in portal
- Incognito and an updated operating system
- Antivirus HTTPS scanning
- The work proxy's certificate
Leave these tasks to a qualified professional
- Do not attempt this professional task: Issue a certificate from a trusted authority
- Do not attempt this professional task: Install the corporate proxy certificate
What a technician must be able to justify
Technician visit
These are the steps they must carry out and show you. Tick them as they work: if steps are skipped, do not accept a part swap.
These are not instructions for opening or handling the equipment yourself. They are the checks that should support a technical conclusion.
Issue a certificate from a trusted authority
What they doThe site operator reviews which certificate the server presents and its issuing chain.
They must show youthe new certificate's chain.
In writingissuing authority and change date.
Install the corporate proxy certificate
What they doThe administrator checks the configuration of the proxy that intercepts HTTPS and installs its certificate on managed devices.
They must show youthe installed certificate and its issuer.
In writingdevices affected and date.
Before accepting a part or repair
Nothing has been shown yet. Do not accept a part swap based on the code alone.
Follow these steps
Note: Follow the documented order. An error code identifies the affected system, but it does not prove by itself which part has failed.
Wi-Fi sign-in portal
- Who:
- you.
- How:
- open a page that starts with http://, such as http://example.com, and sign in to the portal if one appears.
- Result that matters:
- whether the network was asking you to sign in.
- If a portal appears:
- sign in and open the site again; if it opens, that was the cause.
- If no portal appears:
- rule this cause out.
- Evidence to keep:
- the Wi-Fi network name.
Evidence: Google Chrome Help - Get help with common error messages in Chrome
Incognito and an updated operating system
- Who:
- you.
- How:
- open the page in Incognito and check that Windows or macOS is up to date.
- Result that matters:
- whether the error goes away.
- If it opens in Incognito:
- an extension is interfering; disable it.
- If it persists with everything updated:
- move on to the antivirus or the administrator.
- Evidence to keep:
- system version and result.
Evidence: Google Chrome Help - Get help with common error messages in Chrome
Antivirus HTTPS scanning
- Who:
- you, on your personal device.
- How:
- check whether your antivirus has HTTPS protection or scanning turned on; turn it off briefly and reload.
- Result that matters:
- whether the error goes away without that scanning.
- If it goes away:
- the antivirus HTTPS scanning is the cause.
- If it persists:
- rule out the antivirus.
- Evidence to keep:
- antivirus name and result.
Turn the antivirus back on as soon as you finish the test. On a work computer, stop and tell the administrator.
Evidence: Google Chrome Help - Get help with common error messages in Chrome
The work proxy's certificate
- Who:
- your company's system administrator.
- How:
- check whether the network uses a proxy that intercepts HTTPS and whether its certificate is installed on the device.
- Result that matters:
- whether the proxy's certificate is missing.
- If it is missing:
- that is the cause; the administrator installs it through the company procedure.
- If it is installed:
- it indicates the server's certificate is not trusted; tell the website owner.
- Evidence to keep:
- proxy name and the administrator's answer.
Only the administrator. Do not install certificates yourself: Chrome Help advises against it as a security risk.
Evidence: Google Chrome Help - Get help with common error messages in Chrome
Still not solved
If the error persists, stop here. See what the technician must do and show you.
Where this code applies
A code is meaningful only inside the right product and version context.
Primary scope
- System
- Software and digital services
- Brand
- Google Chrome
- Product type
- Web browsers
Known code variants
- ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID
- ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID (-202)
- ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID Chrome
- net::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID
What it means
Chromium defines ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID (-202) as a certificate signed by an authority it does not trust. Its notes give three explanations: an attacker substituted the certificate, the operator uses a legitimate authority Chrome does not know, or the server presents a self-signed certificate. Chrome Help adds that a work proxy that intercepts HTTPS causes this error when its certificate is missing, and that antivirus HTTPS scanning can also cause it.
Warnings and stop conditions
- Higheditorial warning
While this warning shows, do not type passwords, card details or personal data: Chromium allows for the possibility that someone substituted the certificate.
Evidence: Chromium source - net/base/net_error_list.h (network error list)
- Mediumsource verified
Do not install a certificate yourself to make the warning go away; if a page or message asks you to, check with the administrator first.
Evidence: Google Chrome Help - Get help with common error messages in Chrome
Symptoms and causes
Probable causes · in order
- Public Wi-Fi portalPossible
In cafes or airports, the network may require sign-in before it lets HTTPS through.
Evidence: Google Chrome Help - Get help with common error messages in Chrome
- Work proxy or antivirus intercepting HTTPSPossible
On work computers with HTTPS inspection, the proxy's certificate is missing. Antivirus HTTPS scanning has a similar effect.
Evidence: Google Chrome Help - Get help with common error messages in Chrome
- Self-signed certificate or unknown authorityPossible
If the error appears on any network and device, the server's certificate was not issued by a trusted authority.
Evidence: Chromium source - net/base/net_error_list.h (network error list)
- Certificate substituted by an attackerLess common
Chromium lists it among the explanations. That is why you should not continue or enter data until it is cleared up.
Evidence: Chromium source - net/base/net_error_list.h (network error list)
Virtual technician
Does ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID still appear after these checks?
Answer a few questions to narrow down the likely cause and the safest next action. Guidance only - it never replaces a professional.
Sources and technical references
- 1
Chromium source - net/base/net_error_list.h (network error list)
The Chromium Authors · 2026 · official_doc
- 2
Google Chrome Help - Get help with common error messages in Chrome
Google · 2026 · official_doc
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