Apple Forgets to Renew SSL Certificate, Breaking OS X Software Update [Fixed]

Several readers have noted a strange error message appearing when trying to perform software updates from the Mac App Store.

invalid-certificate

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.

expired
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.

Popular Stories

apple music chatgpt

ChatGPT's Apple Music Integration Is Now Live

Wednesday December 17, 2025 3:50 pm PST by
There's now a dedicated Apple Music app for ChatGPT, which allows ChatGPT to make music recommendations and build playlists. Apple Music can be added to ChatGPT through the Settings section in the Mac app, website, or iOS app. Apple Music is listed under the apps option, and connecting to it requires signing in with your Apple Account for authorization purposes. ChatGPT can be used to...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Features Leaked in New Report, Including Under-Screen Face ID

Tuesday December 16, 2025 8:44 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will be moved to the top-left corner of the screen, according to a new report from The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu. As a result of these changes, the report said the iPhone 18 Pro models will not have a pill-shaped Dynamic Island cutout at the top of the screen....
top stories 2025 12 20

Top Stories: iOS 26.3 Beta, Major Apple Leaks, and More

Saturday December 20, 2025 6:00 am PST by
You'd think things would be slowing down heading into the holidays, but this week saw a whirlwind of Apple leaks and rumors while Apple started its next cycle of betas following last week's release of iOS 26.2 and related updates. This week also saw the release of a new Apple Music integration with ChatGPT, so read on below for all the details on this week's biggest stories! Top Stories i...
airpods pro 3 new blue

AirPods Pro 3's Static and Noise Issues Haven't Been Resolved

Thursday December 18, 2025 3:44 pm PST by
Since the AirPods Pro 3 launched, there have been complaints from users who have noticed a static-like sound or a crackling issue when using the earbuds, particularly when Active Noise Cancellation is on but no media is playing. Users have also run into strange high-pitched whistling sounds that happen intermittently. We shared the issues back in late October, and despite two subsequent...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple's 2026 and 2027 Product Roadmap: Foldable iPhone, iPhone 18 Pro, M5 Macs, and More

Tuesday December 16, 2025 4:42 pm PST by
There has been a whirlwind of rumors over the last few days, sourced from leaked internal software designed for the iPhone and the Mac, and news sites like The Information. Below, we have a quick recap of everything we've heard this week, which serves as a guide to Apple's product plans in 2026 and beyond. We've organized the info by likely release date, though there are some products that...
iOS 26 Maps Glass

Apple Quietly Discontinued Flyover City Tours in Apple Maps

Thursday December 18, 2025 1:31 pm PST by
Apple Maps no longer offers a Flyover feature that provides users with automated tours of notable landmarks in major cities. The Flyover option appears to have been nixed around when iOS 26 launched, but its removal went largely unnoticed. Flyover city tours were introduced in 2014 with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, using Flyover imagery to generate an aerial tour. Most cities with Flyover...
ios 18 security update

Don't Want to Upgrade to iOS 26? Here's How to Stay on iOS 18 [Update: Now Unavailable]

Friday December 19, 2025 10:37 am PST by
Since the beginning of December, Apple has been pushing iPhone users who opted to stay on iOS 18 to install iOS 26 instead. Apple started by making the iOS 18 upgrades less visible, and has now transitioned to making new iOS 18 updates unavailable on any device capable of running iOS 26. If you have an iPhone 11 or later, Apple is no longer offering new versions of iOS 18, even though there...

Top Rated Comments

markyr17 Avatar
151 months ago
forgets?????
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rafagon Avatar
151 months ago
All it would've taken is for whoever is in charge of swscan.apple.com to have had a brief conversation with Siri.

"Siri, Remind me to renew SSL Certificate for Swscan.apple.com on May 23. Alert me two days before, and alert me a second time on the day before."

And now Tim Cook should just say to Siri:

"Siri, Remind me to fire the guy in charge of swscan.apple.com on Monday, May 26th."
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mrgraff Avatar
151 months ago
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?
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yvan256 Avatar
151 months ago
Seriously?

Isn't there at least one person, at Apple, whose job is to keep things like that up-to-date?
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spyguy10709 Avatar
151 months ago
Steve would have never let the Mac App Store become Snappier without the Heartbleed update render leaking, Tim.

Did I catch everything?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
testcard Avatar
151 months ago
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.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)