net::ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR

FloridaJo
FloridaJo Posts: 23 Enthusiast
edited October 2023 in Device Protection

and other net::ERR timeouts are happening on my Safe Browser.

It has become unusable and I continually have to hit 'ok'.

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Accepted Answer

  • Ukko
    Ukko Posts: 3,768 Superuser
    Answer ✓

    Hello,

    Thanks for your response.

    Android 8.0

    I tried with my Nokia device (Android 9.0), but could not yet reproduce such warnings. I tried just a bit, so I will try a bit more later.

    Hi, Yes, it happens only on SafeBrowser, not Chrome.

    At least, indication that something wrong during SAFE Browser use.

    Does your F-Secure solution with Privacy VPN feature? if yes, could you try to surf web with enabled VPN. Does it make any difference?

    Thanks!

Answers

  • Ukko
    Ukko Posts: 3,768 Superuser

    Hello,

    and other net::ERR timeouts are happening on my Safe Browser.


    net::ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR

    Probably it is F-Secure's Android solution (Safe Browser); and not iOS platform (Safe Browser / Safari with extension). If it is so - which Android version is in use? And maybe good to know your F-Secure solution's version (or, at least, that no updates pending).

    Sounds if something loaded in backround (as an explanation for not being visible as blocked) or as part of website (scripts, modules) and blocked by Browsing protection (for example, if certain resource is rated as harmful or restricted content). So, browser or server show this 'error'.

    Can you provide any 'safe' examples how to get any of mentioned net::ERR timeouts (or net::ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR). Like: you open Safe Browser, search something and trying to access this or that website.

    Or it is more like random events? For example, I tried to use Qualys SSL Labs - SSL Client Test (SSL/TLS Capabilities of SAFE Browser) and got net::ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH pop-up.

    So, I am not sure that test is done itself, but I see that 'results' are about not supporting TLS 1.1 and lower. Probably, if a certain website still on that and do no provide TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3 - then some troubles with connection are likely.

    Maybe something in SAFE Browser is not good enough for certain resources or web's parts. But could you clarify that these errors are exclusive for SAFE Browser (with another browser on your device - all is fine?)

    Thanks!

  • FloridaJo
    FloridaJo Posts: 23 Enthusiast

    Hi, Yes, it happens only on SafeBrowser, not Chrome.

    I can be just on Yahoo.com scrolling through the news articles.

    The most common and last one I got was net::ERR_TIMED_OUT


    Android 8.0

    Samsung Galaxy S7 (SM-G930P)

  • FloridaJo
    FloridaJo Posts: 23 Enthusiast

    Ah, your questions led me to something interesting.

    Freedome was ON,

    VPN on SafeBrowser was OFF.

    I turned Freedome OFF,

    SafeBrowser VPN ON,

    No ERR:: - messages.

    So maybe it is Freedome with SafeBrowser that is the problem?

  • FloridaJo
    FloridaJo Posts: 23 Enthusiast

    Okay, so I turned ON Freedome and still no problem.


    fixed. Thanks

  • FloridaJo
    FloridaJo Posts: 23 Enthusiast

    Well, it's not as bad as before, but it still does it.

    Not fixed yet.

  • Ukko
    Ukko Posts: 3,768 Superuser

    Well, it's not as bad as before, but it still does it. Not fixed yet.

    If both Freedome VPN app and F-Secure TOTAL app's Privacy VPN with described trouble.. maybe a certain servers (VPN-side) with some configuration that will affect connection to a certain website (web-resource).

    Which one 'errors' there mostly? TIMED_OUT or SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR? Or even something else (not mentioned yet)?

    When trouble is arrived, does:

    • reload page is useful?
    • re-connect to another VPN location?
    • just disabling VPN and checking website availability (I mean, to understand either SAFE Browser or VPN with relation to this impact; alternatively - both, since you wrote that with Google Chrome, all is fine)?
    • what about disabling Freedome or PRIVACY VPN's options like 'browsing protection', 'tracking protection'? Is there any difference?

    Thanks!

  • FloridaJo
    FloridaJo Posts: 23 Enthusiast

    Reload page - Not helpful

    Change VPN location - not helpful

    Yes, Chrome with Freedome VPN - no problems

    The only thing that helps is turning off Javascript. But then even images

    don't load right.


    Most common error is :

    net::ERR_TIMED_OUT

  • Ukko
    Ukko Posts: 3,768 Superuser

    Hello,

    Most common error is : net::ERR_TIMED_OUT

    Here's what I think, maybe this error is a little bit expected.

    It is possible that it rests on the fact that the technologies used in SAFE Browser (and Google Chrome, for example, does not have such restrictions) are much less productive. Under certain conditions - your device (Android system version), VPN connection (or its configuration), some other factors - there is a significant delay when connecting to the website server or loading certain type of content (so, ERR_TIME_OUT).

    Just to understand correctly, since it's not completely clear to me yet - is it true that:

    • when using SAFE Browser without VPN (be it Freedome VPN / F-Secure VPN or Total's Privacy VPN feature) everything is fine? And such errors do not occur or do exist, but much less frequently.
    • if the problem is only (or much more often) with the VPN turned on - is there a difference in whether it is Freedome VPN or the built-in built-in Privacy VPN in F-Secure TOTAL app? Did you manage to reproduce the problem with Privacy VPN (Total's feature)?

    well, I just tried with my F-Secure beta app and built-in Privacy VPN / Android 9. What I tried is:

    • open some websites; then switch to Google Search for a certain query and looking for some pictures (related tab). Scroll down fast and up back - with seeing that some pictures are not loaded. So, decided to type another query and check its pictures - but received also "net::ERR_TIMED_OUT".
    • however, can not easily to get another one occurrence (yet).

    At least, I can confirm that received a very sudden 'net::ERR_TIMED_OUT' just after typing a search query for Google pictures. With enabled VPN and with no further occurrences (yet).

    If you will share your observation about mentioned points, thanks!

  • FloridaJo
    FloridaJo Posts: 23 Enthusiast

    It appears to only occur with Freedome VPN.

    Total VPN enabled, and Freedome VPN off appears to eliminate timeouts.

  • Ukko
    Ukko Posts: 3,768 Superuser


    It appears to only occur with Freedome VPN.

    Total VPN enabled, and Freedome VPN off appears to eliminate timeouts.

    Good to hear it, but I reproduced "net::ERR_TIMED_OUT" once with Total's VPN. So, maybe it is still possible to receive this timeout even with your Total VPN. But if it is less frequent... compared to Freedome VPN and SAFE Browser, then maybe:

    • Freedome VPN has its own Browsing Protection and Tracking protection functionality;
    • SAFE Browser (by default) and Total's Privacy VPN has related features by default.

    Thus, maybe Freedome VPN and SAFE Browser with double checks against same resources. More time to perform and 'back' with results. Establishing connection with servers or certain resources - longer.

    Can you try to disable temporarily Freedome VPN's browsing protection (What to do when a site is blocked? | VPN | Latest | F-Secure User Guides) / tracking protection (Turning tracking protection off | VPN | Latest | F-Secure User Guides) and check if situation is any better then.

    Thanks!

  • FloridaJo
    FloridaJo Posts: 23 Enthusiast

    Well, still getting timeouts. So no change here.

    Except maybe less with Freedome off and F-Secure on.

    Still no timeouts with Chrome though, so must be F-secure browser has

    shorter timout settings?

  • Ukko
    Ukko Posts: 3,768 Superuser
    edited April 2023

    Well, still getting timeouts. So no change here. Except maybe less with Freedome off and F-Secure on.

    I just managed to get "ERR_TIMED_OUT" with a normal Google Search query. Quite stable. And with no VPN. By the way, maybe even with any search query. And, furthermore, by visiting any website (?).

    So, or my Network connection is not good enough (actually, it's not that fast). Or the trouble is mostly about SAFE Browser as such.

    Still no timeouts with Chrome though, so must be F-secure browser has shorter timout settings?

    And I also cannot receive it with Google Chrome.

    Considering the fact that I don't know how the SAFE Browser works, it can be assumed that one of the following reasons:

    • Typing a search query and getting results, or accessing a web resource - SAFE Browser makes queries and security checks. For example, asking F-Secure Security Cloud about reputation and other information. In the case of search results, there can be quite a lot of such 'connections'. It is possible that web resources are not loaded until the end of the check (or, well, hooked). If all this does not fit into 30 seconds (or something), then the browser shows the response from the server ERR_TIMED_OUT.

    Accordingly, either F-Secure SAFE BROWSER and Security Cloud do not process all this design fast enough. Or they do it normally, but in the conditions of a particular network (mine or let's say VPN, where the speed can be lower or more network delays), all this is delayed.

    And more, probably, it concerns web resources loaded in the background.

    Or simply network resources do not withstand and are not waiting for the end of security checks.

    All this may explain why I am getting multiple ERR_TIMED_OUT in the search page after a search query. And, let's say, only once by going to a particular website.

    However, it is quite acceptable that Google Chrome (as an example) has many default settings or improvements, such as better resource loading or optimization of this process. Alternatively, this browser simply suppresses such ERR_TIMED_OUT errors (or in such scenarios) and does not show them to the user. And if so, maybe this will explain why with Freedome VPN or Privacy VPN feature - Google Chrome does not have this problem, although these solutions also with Browsing Protection and Tracking Protection. On the other hand, there may just be less security checks and queries.. and Security Cloud (as a guess) returns a response faster than the server decides to give a time-out.

    Since my experience is about beta application of F-Secure solution. Maybe, I will try to create a report about it. At least, maybe developers with an ability to get the right and technical point of view about reason for showing these errors.

    Thanks!

    // one remark: I tried, then, with VPN enabled and cannot get any ERR_TIMED_OUT.

    But I can still do it without a VPN, so to me it sounds like a tricky network connection or the inability of the F-Secure Security Cloud (or whatever) to process requests quickly enough. Or, otherwise, I do not see what else difference can be there with exactly same steps (SAFE Browser with my network connection -> ERR_TIMED_OUT ||||| SAFE Browser with VPN -> no errors).

  • FloridaJo
    FloridaJo Posts: 23 Enthusiast

    Thanks for all your help.

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