Here’s how to disable HSTS settings in Chrome & Firefox
HSTS, a web security mechanism, is an acronym for ‘HTTP Strict Transport Security.’ This mechanism, if implemented, forces browsers to establish connections via HTTPS, taking insecure HTTP out of the equation. This mechanism was developed to counter the SSL Strip attacks that could downgrade the connection from secure HTTPS to insecure HTTP. If you want to have a closer look at HSTS, here’s an excellent post for you.
As good as this mechanism is, sometimes, it causes pesky errors that leave you in a lurch. If you’re a Chrome user, you might have faced the NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID error. That’s why you’re probably searching for a way to circumvent this error. Well, we’re happy to give you a helping hand.
To get past this error, you’d need to disable HSTS security settings that are present in your browser. However, these instructions will work only if the error is caused due to cached HSTS settings. Follow the instructions only if you’re sure of it.
Clear HSTS configuration in Chrome
- Open Google Chrome
- Search for chrome://net-internals/#hsts in the address bar
- In the Query HSTS/PKP domain field, type in the domain name (example.com) for which you want to delete the HSTS settings. This should return some values.
- Now scroll down the page and enter the same domain name in the Delete domain security policies and press the delete button
Done? Great. Now you’ve successfully cleared HSTS settings in Chrome.
Clear HSTS Settings in Firefox
- First, you need to close all open windows
- Open the browsing history by pressing Ctrl + Shift + H (Cmd + Shift + H on Mac)
- Go to the site for which you want to clear HSTS settings
- Now right-click on that site and then click on Forget About This Site. Keep in mind that this will clear all data of the site present in Firefox.
Congratulations! You just cleared the HSTS (Http Strict Transport Security) settings in Firefox.
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