Avast/AVG - certificate failed: unable to get local issuer certificate

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Jeff
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Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2001 9:46 pm

Avast/AVG - certificate failed: unable to get local issuer certificate

Post by Jeff »

If you use Avast or AVG antivirus, you may have started getting an error with your accounts after they updated their product. The error that POP Peeper reports is something like:
SSL connection failed (is SSL plugin loaded?) (certificate failed: unable to get local issuer certificate [2] (20))

Update: this issue only seems to affect Gmail accounts.

This is NOT a bug or flaw in POP Peeper; this is POP Peeper accurately telling you that there is a security risk.

To address this, you have two choices:

1) In Avast/AVG: disable the "Scan SSL connections" option in the Mail settings:
a) Open Avast/AVG and select Menu / Settings
b) Select "Components"; then click Customize next to Mail Shield.
c) Disable "Scan SSL connections"
-> You are not losing any AntiVirus protection with this method. Your AV will still scan file attachments.

2) Enable hostname checking in POP Peeper:
a) In POP Peeper: from the main menu, select Tools / PPtweaker
b) Select the 'Certificates' page on the left
c) Enable "Enable hostname matching"
d) Press OK
e) Test if your accounts are working now
If that doesn't work, you may need to import Avast/AVG's self-signed certificate into the Windows Certificate store so that POP Peeper can use it.
g) Follow the instructions provided by Avast here:
https://support.avast.com/en-ww/article/91/
h) Then, double-click on the file and press "install certificate" and use the default options.



To discuss this, please use the following topic:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7170
User avatar
Jeff
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Posts: 9226
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2001 9:46 pm

Re: Avast/AVG - certificate failed: unable to get local issuer certificate

Post by Jeff »

I've received several reports that method #2 (import the SSL certificate) worked for some but not for others. After further investigation, steps 2c - 2f have been added:
c) In POP Peeper: from the main menu, select Tools / PPtweaker
d) Select the 'Certificates' page on the left
e) Enable "Enable hostname matching"
f) Press OK
User avatar
Jeff
Admin / Developer
Posts: 9226
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2001 9:46 pm

Re: Avast/AVG - certificate failed: unable to get local issuer certificate

Post by Jeff »

[Edit]
Method #2 has been re-written as enabling hostname checking is the primary fix. Manually importing the certificate from Avast/AVG is most likely not necessary.
Last edited by Jeff on Thu Sep 06, 2018 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Original steps that this note referenced are no longer applicable
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