Software⏱️ 3 min readπŸ“… 2026-06-15

How to Fix: I'm getting error: SSL3_GET_RECORD:decryption failed or bad record mac

Apache/2.4.26: SSL3_GET_RECORD:decryption failed or bad record mac error fix

Quick Answer: Check the OpenSSL version, update it if necessary, and ensure that the SSL/TLS protocol is set correctly in the Apache configuration.

The error: SSL3_GET_RECORD:decryption failed or bad record mac is occurring on your website, affecting users of Brave and Google Chrome. This issue causes intermittent errors, specifically the 'This site can’t provide a secure connection' message, which is frustrating for users.

This error occurs due to an incompatibility between the SSL/TLS protocol versions used by your server and those supported by certain browsers.

πŸ›‘ Root Causes of the Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that your SSL/TLS protocol version is set to exclude newer protocols (TLSv1.2) while some browsers support it.
  • Another possible cause could be a mismatch in the cipher suite used between your server and clients, but this seems less likely given your current configuration.

πŸš€ How to Resolve This Issue

Update SSL/TLS protocol version

  1. Step 1: Open your Apache configuration file (usually /etc/apache2/apache2.conf) and update the SSLProtocol directive to include at least TLSv1.2.
  2. Step 2: Save the changes and restart the Apache service to apply the new configuration.
  3. Step 3: Verify that the updated protocol version is being used by checking the OpenSSL version output or using tools like OpenSSL s_client.

Update cipher suite

  1. Step 1: Check your current cipher suite and update it to a more modern combination (e.g., HIGH:MEDIUM:!aNULL:!MD5:!SSLv3:!SSLv2)!TLSv1.2)
  2. Step 2: Save the changes and restart the Apache service to apply the new configuration.
  3. Step 3: Verify that the updated cipher suite is being used by checking the OpenSSL version output or using tools like OpenSSL s_client.

✨ Wrapping Up

To resolve this issue, update your SSL/TLS protocol version to include at least TLSv1.2 and ensure that your cipher suite is set to a more modern combination. This should resolve the intermittent 'This site can’t provide a secure connection' error for users of Brave and Google Chrome.

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