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Mac OS X software update temporarily broken, likely due to expired SSL certificate

Apple’s SSL certificate that is responsible for verifying and authenticating connections to Apple’s Mac App Store software update servers has expired, causing the Mac App Store to issue errors like those above. Another error notification points to the swscan.apple.com server as being the issue, below.

Server-cert-error

 

A quick search shows that this SSL certificate expired yesterday May 24th at midnight.

Screenshot 2014-05-25 13.11.59


Third-party app updates appear to be working — I was able to update three different apps, though I did encounter the above issue. Dismissing the error and updating the apps works just fine. However, official Apple updates apparently do not work. Apple does make these updates available through their website.

While the SSL expiration seems likely to be the culprit, the issue could also be something else.

We’ve reached out to Apple to try and clarify what the problem exactly is, and when the issue will be resolved. We have yet to receive a comment.

Thanks anonymous for the tip!

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Comments

  1. Dean Lubaki - 10 years ago

    This kind of shhh happens way too much theses last days at Apple… I hope it’s because of big background changes that we’ll see at the WWDC because I’m really tired.

    • Michael Superczynski - 10 years ago

      No way I will ever leave the Apple eco-system.
      Do I even have to mention how screwed up the other side is?

      • Dean Lubaki - 10 years ago

        I don’t care. I paid 1,8k for my new MacBook, 1.1k for my 64GB iPhone 5s. It better work well.
        If it was 500$, maybe I wouldn’t complain, but it’s more than 1k for an iPhone that had a big stupid SSL security flaw. Apple patched it almost a week later on OS X while everybody was aware of the security flaw. That’s a big deal.

      • Dean Lubaki - 10 years ago

        And by the way, I use Windows almost everyday beside OS X, and when you don’t have a shitty 300$ computer, it works very flawlessly. And I had an Android phone and I was really please. But I returned to the iPhone for little things like the iTunes Store.
        But if I had to buy a PC, the thing I would regret would be the battery life and the screen resolution.

      • André Hedegaard Petersen - 10 years ago

        @ Dean Lubaki, point well made. I suppose when one pays premium price for your hardware, you’d expect it to work flawlessly, continuously.

        However, you paid 000.00$ for Mavericks (the software on you Mac) so by your logic, that means it should never work, all of the time.

        Now that makes a lot of sense huh?

      • Dean Lubaki - 10 years ago

        @André
        Okay, you really want to play that game? I paid 1.6k for a MacBook with an embedded OS on it. And it’s the Late 2013, so Mavericks is included. Therefore, I paid for the OS.

      • André Hedegaard Petersen - 10 years ago

        @Dean,
        Ok you paid top dollar for your Macbook.
        Your software is free with that. You only paid for the hardware.
        (See previous versions – the OS came with hardware, yes, but you had to buy it in order to upgrade)

        Its not as “embedded” as iOS, you can just install Windows on it. Its running Intel chipset.

        However, a minor glitch in an App store dosen’t mean the world is falling apart :)

      • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

        Dean, I work in tech support, and calls for Windows machines outnumber Mac calls almost 10 to 1, so please don’t tell me Windows works flawlessly on expensive hardware. Throwing expensive hardware on Windows doesn’t negate the fact that platform is susceptible to constant security issues, some of which Microsoft doesn’t patch for MONTHS, constant virus infections, broken drivers… The list goes on.

        I switched to Mac when I bought my MBP 13″ early 2011, and after almost three and a half years, the unit has never had a hardware failure, and almost no software glitches. Previously my Windows machines had constant hardware failures requiring service, and software crashes galore. Case closed.

      • Dean Lubaki - 10 years ago

        Maybe because there’s way more Windows PCs than Mac? I’m not a maths genius, but I think it’s why.

      • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

        No, it’s because the Windows platform is full of holes, and part of the problem is also millions of dumb end-users, who don’t give a hoot about security. Windows is forced upon those who don’t stand to question the status quo. I did, I switched, and it’s awesome in the other side of the fence.

    • Gregory Wright - 10 years ago

      First, Dean, you don’t know what the source of the problem is. Second, clichés in computer software has always been a problem (heard of bugs) and will always be with us in one form or another. Third, where you gonna go.

    • @Edison well i think you will find it is 10 to 1 as Windows has a 90% of the market, so obviously will have more complaints.

      • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

        And yet the issues I keep getting for Windows boxes at my desk are security, virus (big one), and hardware failures. Mac’s are mostly user education questions and not actual issues with the machines themselves. The only recent hardware issues I’ve had with Mac’s are a rash of Seagate drives failing.

  2. Church Said - 10 years ago

    I got the same problem!

  3. Troy Barboza - 10 years ago

    This problem is really making mad, I have to many other things to be worrying about than trying to troubleshoot why my computer won’t update. Plus I think there might have been a way around it, but you would lose everything on the hard drive.

  4. André Hedegaard Petersen - 10 years ago

    “We’ve reached out to Apple to try and clarify what the problem exactly is, and when the issue will be resolved. We have yet to receive a comment.”

    Seriously?
    Apple won’t reply back to blogger kids under 21.
    To prove my point, you wrote to them on a Sunday!
    Working days are Monday to Friday, if you’d had a job in your life, you’d know business hours.

    • Dean Lubaki - 10 years ago

      They have a team working 24/7, 365/365 for major bugs like this, you know.

      • André Hedegaard Petersen - 10 years ago

        Yes, but not for replying to blogger kids. That is Apple PR department, not the technical staff that does stuff after “opening hours”

        Get my drift?

      • Dean Lubaki - 10 years ago

        @André
        I do hahaha :’)

      • WaveMedia (@WaveMedia) - 10 years ago

        Apple don’t even respond to the BBC or CNN or anybody else for that matter on these kind of things never mind a blog on the internet. They’ll have a response that they’ll give to everyone and not a single outlet that they’ll release on their own terms.

      • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

        Dean, I think you mistyped the site address, I think you wanted to go to 9to5google, not here, because everything you’re posting is pot shots at Apple.

      • Dean Lubaki - 10 years ago

        No, actually it’s because I didn’t think that the website was a blind fanboy cave but now I know. I’ll just read the news like I used to do for the past three-four years and don’t comment because there’s too many fanboys here!

      • André Hedegaard Petersen - 10 years ago

        @Dean, yeah, I like my Mac and iOS devices, but hate the fanboys too. They represent everything Apple is not about.

      • Dean Lubaki - 10 years ago

        @André I understand you point, which I think is valid, but @Edison answer was really lame and purely fanboy.

      • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

        No, my answer is from someone who is an MCSE and ACSP, so I’m quite familiar with both platforms, and know your comments are just full of instigations which are meant to trigger a response.

        I am a fan of Apple, no question, but I still have Windows machines to do specific tasks because there are uses for Windows that it’s better suited for. You on the other hand came in here making inflammatory comments looking to start a fight.

        This is an APPLE news site, not Windows, not Android. So obviously there will be Apple fans here, some of which are passionate about Apple. If that’s not your cup of tea,

        *points to the door*

  5. Clinton Dyches - 10 years ago

    ARGGHH!! I check Software Updates and come up with:

    An error has occurred

    The certificate for this server is invalid. You might be connecting to a server that is pretending to be “swscan.apple.com” which could put your confidential information at risk.

    Followed by an OK button and that’s it.

    When I link to a page to ‘renew’ my certificate, it’s a for a log-in authentication that wants to charge me $329. I quickly closed that site!

    So do we just wait for Apple to get off their butts and do something about this or what?

    Clinton

  6. Azure had this problem too I believe.

    • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

      I think over the last few weeks, especially with Heartbleed, MANY servers have recently had this issue.

      • WaveMedia (@WaveMedia) - 10 years ago

        This ^

        I think a lot are letting the certs expire before getting a new one.

  7. Hans Georg Häßler - 10 years ago

    The certificate is already renewed and the appstore works as normal.

  8. Looks like they fixed their expired cert problem. Software Update is working again.

    • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

      That was fast, impressed!

      • Clinton Dyches - 10 years ago

        Working for me, too… I, too, am impressed at how fast the solution was!

        Clinton

      • axecop - 10 years ago

        I hope Deam coped waiting!!

      • André Hedegaard Petersen - 10 years ago

        I’m sure he did, however, there was no point in waiting, as there is no software update, so its all been for nothing.

      • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

        No he probably sold his MBP on craigslist for below market value and is now suffering with his new Acer laptop and how to get all the bloat ware off to actually make it half usable :)

  9. Do they have their pc then reboot again goes :)

  10. Has d (@dayeck) - 10 years ago

    This is what happened when Steve Jobs dies, no one cares anymore. All I can say to apple is welcome to Windows vista world.

    • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

      Amazing what happens when Windows fanboys are allowed to roam freely on an Apple site. Comparing Apple post Steve Jobs is the stupidest of stupidest comments in a while, not to mention highly insulting.

  11. TechPeeve (@TechPeeve) - 10 years ago

    Apple tards excuse everything Apple does and that’s the main reason there is a perception of Apple having flawless products.

  12. k m (@nyctenor) - 10 years ago

    Apple has finally lost it’s ability to be superior in all things software. They keep messing up, removing features that used to be included, including usb/cable sync of iPhones and iPads with Mavericks. In Mavericks, they said you HAD to sync via their iCloud (with all it’s glitches) Now they can’t even get a software update right. I had to restore Mountain Lion to my 2 macs to get some of the features back that they removed in Mavericks. Who would have ever thought that I would be looking at Windows 8.1 Pro 3 tablets now? I long ago moved to Android Phones with 5″+ screens so I could read a web page! And then, I couldn’t get text messages from friends with iPhones because Apple had hijacked my former iPhone phone number. Apples solution: go back to OUR phone! I’ve had problems for a year now. Now all Apple seems to do is sue other people who have superior phones by accusing them of copying all their features. Swipe to unlock is patented??? OMG. Next thing you know they will patent a new iToilet and claim that they have a patent that goes back to medieval times, and it will cost you a $ 1 to flush every time you gotta go.
    I have lost respect for a company so embroiled with hubris, and so immune to it’s customers, except teeny-bopper music addicts. I mean, how many of us really launch rockets with an iPhone? It makes me want to puke. C’mon, get real, Apple!

    • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

      Holy f’ing crap, you seem to love dragging Apple thru the mud don’t ya? EVERY company in the WORLD has issues with their hardware and/or software, and Apple is no exception.

      Granted, they’ve made a few mis-steps of late, but what you just said is more full of crap then crap you accuse Apple of.

      I feel sorry for you for going with the virus-ridden, security hole filled platform known as Android, and claiming to look at Windows 8.1 as superior to Mavericks made me seriously LOL, as I’m forced to use that steaming pile of junk at work, and causes nothing but issues compared to my Mavericks MBP.

      If you want to puke, then go to the nearest toilet and do it there. Don’t bring crap like that onto a site who is for those who enjoy Apple, which you clearly do not, and go out of your way to bash.

      • multiplexxer - 10 years ago

        Wow, you really are a fanboy… :-) It seems to me you see things through rose-colored glasses. But what do I know?

  13. francoborgo - 10 years ago

    @Dean Lubaki who own a 1.1k$ iphone and demand perfection.
    Hope you dont own a 1.5k$ Google Glass :-)

  14. Joe Barnickel - 10 years ago

    It seems to be fixed now.