An error occurred in the secure channel support - Classic ASP HTTP Request

Question

I have a classic ASP website running on a Windows Server 2012 box. One page makes a HTTP request to another application over https using code like this:

Sub ShopXML4http(url, inStr, outStr, method, xmlerror)
  Dim objhttp
  Set objhttp = Server.CreateObject ("MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP.6.0")
  objHttp.open method, url, false
  If Method="POST" Then
    objHttp.Send instr
  Else
    objHttp.Send
  End if   
  outstr=objHttp.responseText
  Set objhttp=nothing
End Sub

This code works fine almost all of the time (thousands of requests per day), but sporadically it will fail with a message like this:

Number: -2147012739

Description: An error occurred in the secure channel support

Source: msxml6.dll

The application was recently moved from an old Windows 2003 Server to the 2012 Server, and this issue never seemed to be a problem on the old server. In addition, while this error is happening on the website, I could run the exact same code in a VBScript and it works fine. Resetting the application pool seems to cause the site to be able to do the secure HTTP requests again (although it often fixes itself before I can get to the server).

Answer 1

I have had the exact same problem after migrating from 2003 to 2008 R2 and found the solution. Change:

Set objhttp = Server.CreateObject ("MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP.6.0")

to:

Set objhttp = Server.CreateObject ("MSXML2.XMLHTTP.6.0")

and your problem will go away.

I tried to find the pros and cons about both objects, but haven't yet found a reason to not use XMLHTTP.

Answer 2

I've had the same issue and tried lots of solutions offered under a variety of posts but ultimately had no success, until now. I'll detail the solution that worked for me with reference to the problem as in my case it was PayPal. I've not opened a new post as this might not be just a paypal issue in future.

The solution is a combination of a number of stackoverflow posted solutions to similar problems but this seemed the best one to add to.

The problem

Trying to test PayPal IPN on Windows Server 2008 using classic ASP using the PayPal Sandbox returns the error "An error occurred in the secure channel support".

Why it is a problem

PayPal is requiring all communications with their systems to be as secure as possible. You will need a connection that is TLS 1.2. Windows Server 2008 is not TLS 1.2 by default.

PayPal threw some confusion into the mix by saying you need a Verisign G5 certificate, which you do for the server root but not the domain you are running your code on. I also didn't install any PayPal certificates as I don't use the API. I don't believe you need your comms from an HTTPS site either - although my domain is secured using a standard GoDaddy EV cert although I did a test on a non HTTPS site after and that worked too.

My solution

1. First check which kind of security your server is using via SSL Labs. It should be TLS1.2 or higher and no other TLS's or SSL's. It must also have a SHA256 encryption. You may need to patch the server: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3106991.

2. Use IISCrypto to set the correct TLS and ciphers. I used the registry changes offered up elsewhere on stackoverflow but this did not work and actually totally screwed up my server for everything using HTTPS posts, not just my development site! IISCrypto also handles the ciphers.

3. Make sure your application pool is v4.5, which in itself is unclear because IIS might only offer v4.0 as an option. However this is probably actually v4.5. You can verify this via https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh925568(v=vs.110).aspx.

4. Within your code you need to use Server.CreateObject ("MSXML2.XMLHTTP.6.0"), not Server.CreateObject ("MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP.6.0") as mentioned above.

Now I've no idea why the non-server XMLHTTP works as that seems contrary to the documentation behind it. Right now, after 10 days of stress, panic and frustration I don't care! I hope this is useful for others.

Finding the solution was a nightmare so I'll add some phrases below to help others if searching:

PayPal IPN failing with server error

PayPal SSL Windows 2008 errors

An error occurred in the secure channel support

classic ASP PayPal Sandbox SSL errors

I'd like to publicly thank Rackspace and GoDaddy for their help with this. I'd like to publicly state that I found paypal have the worst technical support ever and just do not care, constantly pointing to their own docs, if they ever respond. They say they've been sending emails out about this since September 2014 but I never received one. These new requirements are active on the PayPal Sandbox but go live in September 2016. I only came across it as developing a new solution so needed the sandbox - if you're running live you won't know about the problem until it hits and then you're dead in the water. Test your entire payment system on the PayPal sandbox asap is my advice!!

Answer 3

None of the answers above applies to my situation. Then I hopped on the link here:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-za/help/3140245/update-to-enable-tls-1-1-and-tls-1-2-as-a-default-secure-protocols-in

This update provides support for Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.1 and TLS 1.2 in Windows Server 2012, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.

Applications and services that are written by using WinHTTP for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections that use the WINHTTP_OPTION_SECURE_PROTOCOLS flag can't use TLS 1.1 or TLS 1.2 protocols. This is because the definition of this flag doesn't include these applications and services.

This update adds support for DefaultSecureProtocols registry entry that allows the system administrator to specify which SSL protocols should be used when the WINHTTP_OPTION_SECURE_PROTOCOLS flag is used.

This can allow certain applications that were built to use the WinHTTP default flag to be able to leverage the newer TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.1 protocols natively without any need for updates to the application.

This is the case for some Microsoft Office applications when they open documents from a SharePoint library or a Web Folder, IP-HTTPS tunnels for DirectAccess connectivity, and other applications by using technologies such as WebClient by using WebDav, WinRM, and others.

This update will not change the behavior of applications that are manually setting the secure protocols instead of pass the default flag.

Client service on Windows 2008 R2 server outbound to server over TLS reciprocated the error in question. I thought it could be cipher suite compatibility. Wireshark trace indicated version in Client Hello request was TLS 1.0 but server requires TLS 1.2. The cipher suites sent to outbound server from client service were fine. The problem is the client service or application on Windows server default employs the system default, which is not TLS 1.2.

The solution is to add a registry subkey named DefaultSecureProtocols with a value corresponding to which TLS version(s) should be supported. Add said registry subkey, with type DWORD, to the following locations:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\WinHttp

For Internet Explorer fix, you can add a similar registry subkey titled SecureProtocols, also with type DWORD, to the following locations:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings

Below you can find the table of values for both subkeys:

DefaultSecureProtocols Value         Protocol enabled
0x00000008                           Enable SSL 2.0 by default
0x00000020                           Enable SSL 3.0 by default
0x00000080                           Enable TLS 1.0 by default
0x00000200                           Enable TLS 1.1 by default
0x00000800                           Enable TLS 1.2 by default

For example:

The administrator wants to override the default values for WINHTTP_OPTION_SECURE_PROTOCOLS to specify TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.2.

Take the value for TLS 1.1 (0x00000200) and the value for TLS 1.2 (0x00000800) then add them together in calculator (in programmer mode), the resulting registry value would be 0x00000A00.

I applied 0x00000A00 as the value for both subkeys and it successfully resolved the issue.

There is also an Easy Fix (link is here: https://aka.ms/easyfix51044) available from Microsoft, if you don't wish to manually enter registry subkeys and values.