SunCertPathBuilderException: Unable To Find Valid Certification Path To Requested Target

Problem

Configured Tomcat to support SSL and deployed this web service on a development Tomcat server. While connect to the deployed web service over SSL connection via this URL : “https://localhost:8443/HelloWorld/hello?wsdl“, it hits

javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: 
   sun.security.validator.ValidatorException: PKIX path building failed: 
   sun.security.provider.certpath.SunCertPathBuilderException: 
   unable to find valid certification path to requested target
 
Caused by: sun.security.validator.ValidatorException: 
   PKIX path building failed: sun.security.provider.certpath.SunCertPathBuilderException: 
   unable to find valid certification path to requested target
 
Caused by: sun.security.provider.certpath.SunCertPathBuilderException: 
   unable to find valid certification path to requested target

Solution

The caused of the problem and solution are both well explain in this article. Below is just the same solution, but demonstrate in my development environment :)

1. Get InstallCert.java

Get a InstallCert.java file from http://blogs.sun.com/andreas/resource/InstallCert.java

2. Add Trusted Keystore

Run InstallCert.java, with your hostname and https port, and press “1” when ask for input. It will add your “localhost” as a trusted keystore, and generate a file named “jssecacerts“.

C:\>java InstallCert localhost:8443
Loading KeyStore C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\lib\security\cacerts...
Opening connection to localhost:8443...
Starting SSL handshake...
 
javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: sun.security.validator.ValidatorException: PKIX path building failed: sun.security.
provider.certpath.SunCertPathBuilderException: unable to find valid certification path to requested target
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.Alerts.getSSLException(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.fatal(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.Handshaker.fatalSE(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.Handshaker.fatalSE(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.ClientHandshaker.serverCertificate(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.ClientHandshaker.processMessage(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.Handshaker.processLoop(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.Handshaker.process_record(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.readRecord(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.performInitialHandshake(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.startHandshake(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.startHandshake(Unknown Source)
        at InstallCert.main(InstallCert.java:87)
Caused by: sun.security.validator.ValidatorException: PKIX path building failed: sun.security.provider.certpath.SunCertP
athBuilderException: unable to find valid certification path to requested target
        at sun.security.validator.PKIXValidator.doBuild(Unknown Source)
        at sun.security.validator.PKIXValidator.engineValidate(Unknown Source)
        at sun.security.validator.Validator.validate(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.X509TrustManagerImpl.validate(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.X509TrustManagerImpl.checkServerTrusted(Unknown Source)
        at InstallCert$SavingTrustManager.checkServerTrusted(InstallCert.java:182)
        ... 9 more
Caused by: sun.security.provider.certpath.SunCertPathBuilderException: unable to find valid certification path to reques
ted target
        at sun.security.provider.certpath.SunCertPathBuilder.engineBuild(Unknown Source)
        at java.security.cert.CertPathBuilder.build(Unknown Source)
        ... 15 more
 
Server sent 1 certificate(s):
 
 1 Subject CN=yong mook kim, OU=mkyong, O=mkyong, L=puchong, ST=PJ, C=my
   Issuer  CN=yong mook kim, OU=mkyong, O=mkyong, L=puchong, ST=PJ, C=my
   sha1    32 3e 15 42 96 ba e9 4d 9c 5d e7 5e 6b 0f 30 23 b4 e3 f4 98
   md5     c8 dd a1 af 9f 55 a0 7f 6e 98 10 de 8c 63 1b a5
 
Enter certificate to add to trusted keystore or 'q' to quit: [1]
1
 
[
[
  Version: V3
  Subject: CN=yong mook kim, OU=mkyong, O=mkyong, L=puchong, ST=PJ, C=my
  Signature Algorithm: SHA1withRSA, OID = 1.2.840.113549.1.1.5
 
  Key:  Sun RSA public key, 1024 bits
  modulus: 1129473579651954554552730664834664064459539051598864058082387115962631728819634110255367718769683451438528187
923246533854744470790959477657386037636238098777089479256059697784394926741427654735994678054030193662669088404706890444
59364523220747231216704221781747262219695262340353839314222273672957748320603247
  public exponent: 65537
  Validity: [From: Tue Dec 14 15:13:51 SGT 2010,
               To: Mon Mar 14 15:13:51 SGT 2011]
  Issuer: CN=yong mook kim, OU=mkyong, O=mkyong, L=puchong, ST=PJ, C=my
  SerialNumber: [    4d07192f]
 
]
  Algorithm: [SHA1withRSA]
  Signature:
0000: 38 E4 F4 D9 51 B1 5F C1   01 13 32 79 DE 97 26 58  8...Q._...2y..&X
0010: 13 08 F1 A0 33 DB B9 90   AF EE 9E AE B9 9B 68 7D  ....3.........h.
0020: DF E8 7D 79 9D 92 24 4A   76 C9 4C 28 DA 68 B0 62  ...y..$Jv.L(.h.b
0030: FF AB 27 03 5C DD 1F C8   77 A2 25 18 DF 0C DC FD  ..'.\...w.%.....
0040: D3 39 5D 18 B4 BA 4B 36   8C FD C5 80 FF F2 E3 4D  .9]...K6.......M
0050: 0A 28 57 B9 04 D8 25 F6   FB CA DA 13 0C 36 FB 02  .(W...%......6..
0060: 9A B3 B1 28 46 D1 8E C7   D9 1A 5B CE BB A6 6F FD  ...(F.....[...o.
0070: 6D F2 35 D9 95 43 6E 38   2A 56 E7 31 21 D9 F0 90  m.5..Cn8*V.1!...
 
]
 
Added certificate to keystore 'jssecacerts' using alias 'localhost-1'

3. Verify Trusted Keystore
Try run the InstallCert command again, the connection should be ok now.
   
   

    
    
     
     

      
      
C:\>java InstallCert localhost:8443
Loading KeyStore jssecacerts...
Opening connection to localhost:8443...
Starting SSL handshake...
 
No errors, certificate is already trusted
 
Server sent 1 certificate(s):
 
 1 Subject CN=yong mook kim, OU=mkyong, O=mkyong, L=puchong, ST=PJ, C=my
   Issuer  CN=yong mook kim, OU=mkyong, O=mkyong, L=puchong, ST=PJ, C=my
   sha1    32 3e 15 42 96 ba e9 4d 9c 5d e7 5e 6b 0f 30 23 b4 e3 f4 98
   md5     c8 dd a1 af 9f 55 a0 7f 6e 98 10 de 8c 63 1b a5
 
Enter certificate to add to trusted keystore or 'q' to quit: [1]
q
KeyStore not changed
 
C:\>
     
     
   
   
4.Copy jssecacerts
Copy the generated “jssecacerts” file to your “$JAVA_HOME\jre\lib\security” folder.
5. Done
Run your web service client again, it should be working now.
http://www.mkyong.com/webservices/jax-ws/suncertpathbuilderexception-unable-to-find-valid-certification-path-to-requested-target/