Am using my iMac which runs on macOS Ventura 13.78.
When I try to get on the website/log on I get the message "unable to establish a secure connection".
Any suggestions for resolving this issue?
"Unable to establish a secure connection" means Safari considers that website's security credentials outdated or invalid. Whereas Safari requires strict adherence to security certificates, other non-Apple browsers may be more tolerant of that deficiency.
Try Brave or Firefox. If they also object, there is a significant likelihood the URL you are attempting to access is incorrect, possibly malicious, and should be avoided. I don't know what "my Treasury Direct" may be.
"Unable to establish a secure connection" means Safari considers that website's security credentials outdated or invalid. Whereas Safari requires strict adherence to security certificates, other non-Apple browsers may be more tolerant of that deficiency.
Try Brave or Firefox. If they also object, there is a significant likelihood the URL you are attempting to access is incorrect, possibly malicious, and should be avoided. I don't know what "my Treasury Direct" may be.
Presumably, the TreasuryDirect.gov website.
I’m not encountering any issues with Safari and the website or the login page (without logging in).
Here is how this is supposed to work:
Digital certificates and encrypted websites in Safari on Mac - Apple Support
Potential local causes of issues can include Safari extensions, add-on VPN apps, add-on security apps, and such.
Confirmed, older Safari versions will not load that website:
Newer versions are ok.
You can change the security trust settings for that website if you understand the implications of doing so:
ElizHWhte wrote:
My computer operates on OS Big Sur 11..7.10. I tried to log into my Treasury Direct account yesterday, Sept. 26, 2025, and got "unable to establish a secure connection.." If my operating system is too old, what are my options?
You will want to scroll up and avail yourself of the previous replies, then.
Summary of the major options discussed above:
ElizHWhte wrote:
My computer operates on OS Big Sur 11..7.10. I tried to log into my Treasury Direct account yesterday, Sept. 26, 2025, and got "unable to establish a secure connection.." If my operating system is too old, what are my options?
Use Firefox instead of Safari. It is fully supported on Big Sur and has excellent security & privacy features. It has been my primary browser for many years, many versions.
Assuming that the OP is accessing the real site (https://treasurydirect.gov), the Treasury Direct Web site is
"the one and only place to electronically buy and redeem U.S. Savings Bonds. We also offer electronic sales and auctions of other U.S.-backed investments to the general public, financial professionals, and state and local governments."
My Mac is not complaining about the site linked above – but I am running the latest version of Sequoia, so my copy of Safari is slightly newer than the one the OP has. (Ventura received the latest versions of Safari 18.* … but Safari 26.0 requires Sonoma, Sequoia, or Tahoe.)
Just adding that I'm running Monterey with Safari 17.6 and Firefox 142.0 and can access TreasuryDirect.gov just fine with both browsers. I don't think it's a browser problem.
@Hibiscusmom - try it again. Make sure you are using this address: https://treasurydirect.gov/
I got this to work on macOS 13, by loading and then using the newly-issued Sectigo certificate chain.
When I'm closer to being awake (sometime over the next day or two), I'll write up how to find, download, and trust the new Sectigo certificate chain, using Keychain Access app on macOS 13.
MrHoffman wrote:
I got this to work on macOS 13, by loading and then using the newly-issued Sectigo certificate chain.
When I'm closer to being awake (sometime over the next day or two), I'll write up how to find, download, and trust the new Sectigo certificate chain, using Keychain Access app on macOS 13.
Review copy: Updating the Certificate Trust Store on m… - Apple Community
Feedback welcome, YMMV, etc.
Let me first say I don't know anything about certificates other than they are needed sometimes. I got it to work with Safari in Ventura 13.7.8 by following the directions given by Chatgpt. I can't guarantee it will work for anything else.
Use Step 1 only to confirm you are trying to load the correct website. Step 2. I removed treasurydirect.gov and closed Safari. I reopened it and got the "beware you might be trying to access a fraudulent website." There is a link there to open it anyway. I did and treasurydirect.gov opened like it always had in the past before the latest Ventura System Update. I then closed Safari and reopened it to see what would happen when I went to treasury direct.gov again. It opened immediately into treasurydirect.gov without the warning.
I hope this helps someone else who doesn't know anything about certificates.
That would be a welcome User Tip. The methods by which certificate trust policies become modified with Keychain Access vary by macOS versions so it's not going to be a straightforward task.
Apple added to our workload by advocating limits on trusted certificates for which the rest of the industry (all the big players) fell in line. Webkit, Chromium, Mozilla... all of them. That change is likely to accelerate browser obsolescence, by extension macOS / iOS obsolescence, and by greater extension device obsolescence.
https://www.sectigo.com/sectigo-public-root-cas-migration may be a useful reference to include.
It's another reason browsers in general are going away... eventually.
John Galt wrote:
That would be a welcome User Tip. The methods by which certificate trust policies become modified with Keychain Access vary by macOS versions so it's not going to be a straightforward task.
Yeah, or Apple could push out occasional browser trust store updates.
My computer operates on OS Big Sur 11..7.10. I tried to log into my Treasury Direct account yesterday, Sept. 26, 2025, and got "unable to establish a secure connection.." If my operating system is too old, what are my options?
Elizabeth White
Dear Martin R. Your advice was enormously helpful, especially if I can figure out how to add Firefox. The other advice was not helpful, and I was offended as an Apple owner of multiple devices and a stockholder that it was suggested that I replace my computer. It has functioned beautifully with nary a problem. This is no way to maintain customer loyalty.
ElizHWhte
ElizHWhte wrote:
The other advice was not helpful, and I was offended as an Apple owner of multiple devices and a stockholder that it was suggested that I replace my computer. It has functioned beautifully with nary a problem.
It is a fact that Macs eventually hit end of life with respect to the ability to run new versions of macOS. You have not told us which Mac you have – but if it can't run anything later than Big Sur, I believe that would indicate that it is 10+ years old.
macOS Monterey is compatible with these computers - Apple Support
In light of that, I do not see anything offensive in MrHoffman's post where he wrote
"Summary of the major options discussed above:
This is no way to maintain customer loyalty.
You are not speaking to Apple.
Suddenly unable to log in to my Treasury Direct account.
