Understanding the “Your Connection is Not Private” Error

The error message you are encountering, “Your connection is not private,” with the specific code net::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID, is a security measure taken by your web browser, in this case, Chrome, to protect your data. It indicates that your browser cannot verify the identity of the website cdn.redhat.com.

This issue is further compounded by HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security), a security policy used by websites like Red Hat’s to ensure that browsers only ever connect to them using a secure HTTPS connection. Because your browser has detected a problem with the site’s security certificate, and HSTS is enabled, it is blocking the connection entirely to prevent any potential security risks, such as man-in-the-middle attacks.

What is happening behind the scenes:

When you try to connect to a secure website, it presents a digital certificate to your browser to prove its identity. Your browser then checks if this certificate is issued by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). The ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID error means that the CA that issued the certificate for cdn.redhat.com is not on your browser’s list of trusted authorities.

Common Causes for this Error:

Based on user reports and technical documentation, this error with cdn.redhat.com is often…