Several readers have noted a strange error message appearing when trying to perform software updates from the Mac App Store.
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 you confidential information at risk.
Swscan.apple.com is one of several servers that Software Update uses to communicate with Apple. The apparent problem is that the security certificate for the server appears to have expired. The certificate was originally valid from May 22, 2012 to May 24, 2014.
This is a problem that Apple will need to fix on their side. In the meanwhile, users can manually download updates from Apple's support site.
Update: This may also be the cause of NSURLErrorDomain error -1012, which appears to have started in the same time.
Update 2: Apple appears to have fixed the certificate.
Thursday September 17, 2026 4:17 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
In iOS 27, available now, CarPlay gets its biggest update in years, but some features depend on what type of car you have rather than your iPhone model. Some of the biggest additions won't do anything in the vast majority of vehicles on the road today. Here's how the new features pan out.
Works in Any CarPlay Vehicle
Custom widgets: In iOS 27, CarPlay is no longer limited to Apple's handful ...
Wednesday September 16, 2026 8:53 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 have hardware changes that allow for faster charging, but you will need to use the new version of the Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger included in the box in order to achieve this boost. If you need extra ones for your own charging stands or travel or so forth, Apple released the new version of the charger on its online store last week, with...
Wednesday September 16, 2026 1:32 pm PDT by Juli Clover
The iOS 27.2 beta that Apple released today adds a feature that reminds you it's your anniversary when you call someone, as long as you've added the date in the Contacts app.
On the date of your anniversary, when you go to call the person, you'll see a reminder that it's an important day so you don't forget to say something. The anniversary alert uses Call Context, a feature Apple added in...
Steve would have never let the Mac App Store become Snappier without the Heartbleed update render leaking, Tim.
Did I catch everything?
You forgot:
Microsoft Forgets to Renew... = Yet another example of a top-heavy corporation unable to keep even simple things in check. Thank goodness Apple hasn't forgotten its user base.
Apple Forgets to Renew... = Calm down, people; non-issue. Do you even realize how much time a big company needs to address things like this?
Apple needs to design an app where people can jot down a list of things they need to remember, with an option to add alerts when they become due. Could call it Reminders or something similar.
