Troubleshooting a Persistent Connection Error: A Tech Support Challenge

As someone who has spent nearly three years in tech support, I’ve encountered a wide range of issues, but recently I’ve come across a perplexing problem that has left me scratching my head. Whenever I attempt to browse the internet using my Ethernet connection, I am consistently met with a disheartening message:

“Your connection is not private.”

This warning indicates potential security risks, stating that “Attackers might be trying to steal your information from [URL].” The error code displayed is NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID.

Initially, I thought this might be a minor hiccup, but after several attempts to resolve the issue, I found myself increasingly stumped. The good news is that my Wi-Fi connection seems to function perfectly, which leads me to focus specifically on the wired connection. Below is a comprehensive list of troubleshooting steps I’ve taken:

1. Adjusted the Date and Time: An incorrect date or time can cause certificate errors.
2. Cleared Cache and Cookies: I also tried browsing in Incognito mode to rule out any session-related issues.
3. Tested Multiple Browsers: The problem persisted across different platforms, indicating it wasn’t browser-specific.
4. Executed Winsock Reset and DNS Flush: To mitigate any networking inconsistencies.
5. Restarted the Router and Changed Ports: As my PC is the only device connected via Ethernet, this is a crucial step.
6. Manually Set IP and DNS: Ensuring that my network settings were configured correctly.
7. Checked Proxy Settings: Verified that there were no intermediary proxies affecting connectivity.
8. Cleared SSL State: Attempted to refresh any compromised SSL data.
9. Reinstalled Network Drivers: Eliminating any driver-related issues.
10. Modified Chrome Shortcut to Ignore Certificate Errors: A drastic measure but worth a try.
11. Disabling Antivirus and Windows Defender: To check if security software was interfering.

Despite attempting all these solutions, the error persisted. My PC configuration is as follows:

• Motherboard: Asus B450-F Gaming
• CPU: Ryzen 2700x
• Operating System: Windows 10 x64 (version 1809)
• GPU: Gigabyte RTX 2080

After exhausting my options, I finally found the resolution: I flashed the router with the latest firmware and reset it to factory defaults. This solution resolved the connection