NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID Explained: Why a Complete Chain Can Still Fail
The error NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID occurs when a browser or client successfully builds a full certificate chain but does not recognize or trust the root certificate at its top. This is distinct from an incomplete-chain error, where missing intermediates prevent the path from being assembled at all. Different platforms report the same underlying problem in different ways — Chrome calls it AUTHORITY_INVALID, Firefox uses SEC_ERROR_UNKNOWN_ISSUER, and curl and OpenSSL have their own variants. Common triggers include self-signed certificates, which vouch only for themselves, and certificates issued by private or internal certificate authorities not included in public trust stores. Adding more intermediates cannot resolve the issue, since the problem lies with the untrusted root anchor, not the completeness of the chain below it.
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