Every other HTTP (SSL) request fails

Question

Every other HTTP (SSL) request fails

Hey!

I do have the issue on my MacBook Air M1 2020 for quite a while now. Unrelated if using Safari, or other outgoing HTTP Requests - they do fail so often, that it's quite annoying now.

In Safari it's the typical error message, that Safari "can't establish a secure connection". When requests are sent from third-party-apps those throw other errors (but most likely relate to them) - in NodeJS e.g. ERCONNRESET or generic errors, that no connection could be established.

That issue persisted in the last version of Ventura and now on Sonoma as well. I don't run any kind of antivirus-software which could block something. And I don't really think that this is an issue on the routers end or something, as those problems do not occur on my iPhone nor my SmartTV whatsoever.

Sadly I don't have any starting point to investigate into this issue further.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.0

Posted on Sep 29, 2023 11:36 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

PierreSchwang Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 29, 2023 2:06 PM in response to PierreSchwang

After even more searching and some luck I've come across a support thread of my ISP where another user describes a problem veeeery similar to mine. So I guess the issue might be more on the side of the ISP - Interesting that my MacBook is seemingly the only device in the network utilizing IPv6?

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Answer 2

Deep1212

Level 1

8 points

Jan 18, 2024 1:49 AM in response to PierreSchwang

Hello!

It seems you're facing persistent connection issues on your MacBook Air M1 2020, whether using Safari or other applications making outgoing HTTP requests. In Safari, the common error is "can't establish a secure connection," and third-party apps throw various errors like ERCONNRESET in NodeJS.

This problem has persisted across Ventura and Sonoma versions. You've ruled out antivirus software as a possible cause, and the issue doesn't seem to be with your router since other devices like your iPhone and SmartTV work fine.

Given the complexity of the issue, it might be worthwhile to:

Check Network Settings:
Ensure your MacBook's network settings are configured correctly. Look for any proxy settings or custom configurations that might be causing conflicts.
Reset Network Settings:
Try resetting your network settings on the MacBook to default. This can sometimes resolve underlying connection issues.
Update Network Drivers:
Ensure your network drivers are up to date. Check for any driver updates related to your MacBook's network hardware.
Review Firewall Settings:
Check your MacBook's firewall settings to make sure they are not overly restrictive, potentially blocking outgoing connections.
DNS Configuration:
Experiment with different DNS settings. You can use public DNS servers like Google's (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare's (1.1.1.1).
Check for System Updates:
Ensure your MacBook has the latest macOS updates. Sometimes, system updates include fixes for network-related issues.

If the problem persists after these steps, it might be helpful to gather more information. You can review system logs or console logs for specific error messages related to these connection failures.

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Answer 3

Sep 29, 2023 12:02 PM in response to MrHoffman

I've had NordVPN installed for a few hours if I remember correctly. I just installed it again only to uninstall it yet again. Will see if anything changes. Otherwise back to factory settings I guess.

Thank you!

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Answer 4

Sep 29, 2023 12:56 PM in response to PierreSchwang

Outside of geo-shifting for testing or such, add-on VPNs badly solve a problem that hasn’t existed for a decade or so, and in a way that is absolutely perfect for collecting every scrap of metadata available from a de-anonymized and personally-identified subscriber. And here, something… odd… and quite possibly very bad… is happening with TLS-protected traffic.

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Answer 5

Sep 29, 2023 1:45 PM in response to MrHoffman

I'm not sure why I've had it - I do think I had my reason (If I recall, had some issues due to my location in Germany or something, but that's it).

What I've seen is, that after uninstalling NordVPN (there is no uninstaller apart from moving the app into the trash bin) that there was some background object. I've disabled that background object as well and restarted, tho the error continues to persists. Simple example from an electron(?) app:

m: request to https://releases.r2.labymod.net/launcher/modmeta.json failed, reason: read ECONNRESET
    at ClientRequest.<anonymous> (/Applications/LabyMod Launcher.app/Contents/Resources/app/.webpack/main/index.js:2:563530)
    at ClientRequest.emit (node:events:513:28)
    at TLSSocket.socketErrorListener (node:_http_client:502:9)
    at TLSSocket.emit (node:events:513:28)
    at emitErrorNT (node:internal/streams/destroy:151:8)
    at emitErrorCloseNT (node:internal/streams/destroy:116:3)
    at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:82:21)

Opening that in safari works totally fine. I do think I have to bite the bullet and wipe the MacBook. At least I don't find any other topics (nor at apple or nordvpn) that share that behavior.

May look if I find some log files but other then that, I don't have any sane explanations.

Edit: Configuring the IPv6 to just Link-Local might fixed it? At least the issue hasn't occurred so far interestingly

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Answer 6

Nov 16, 2023 7:13 PM in response to PierreSchwang

this has me going bananas...

I have the same problem and setting IPV6 to link-local does not resolve it for me.

I've tried other networks / ISPs (changing to my AT&T iphone hot spot) vs Comcast my home ISP

I checked out netstat -a, and lsof -i to review for any kind of nefarious activity

I audited a bunch of PIDs in activity monitor to ensure they looked like they are doing what they're supposed to

I ran malware bytes and did a bunch of scans that showed no threat detected

I deleted all downloads I had done over the last few days

I cleared all my browser data

I ran dscacheutil -flushcache to flush my dns cache

I restarted

I upgraded to OSX Sonoma

Nothing works.... it just keeps intermittently failing on some http requests, in all browsers / apps and against local host domains

full disclosure: I have been using dnsmasq for the past few months for a local development project. worked perfect, no issues up until about 3 days ago when this problem cropped up

Any ideas?

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Answer 7

Sep 29, 2023 11:38 AM in response to PierreSchwang

If you have any ad-blocker extensions installed, or any add-on anti-malware apps, or any add-on VPN client apps, remove all of those per the vendors’ instructions, restart, and try again.

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Answer 8

Nov 16, 2023 7:15 PM in response to MrHoffman

I have no blockers or VPN software (other than malware bytes which I installed for a scan after the problem started happening)

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Every other HTTP (SSL) request fails

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