There has been an industry-wide upgrade in browser security standards. As a result, many of our e-resource links may redirect you to a “Your connection is not private” warning page. The steps below generally help resolve this issue. Please also ensure that the privacy/security settings in all your browsers are set to Strict or Enhanced.
To continue accessing the e-resource, please try one of the following:
Part A: Clear Your Browsing Data
This method deletes the stored data in your browser, such as cookies or cache, images, and files.
1. Click on the three dots in the top-right corner and then on Settings.
2. Click on Privacy and Security option on the left and then on Clear browsing data.
3. Under the Basic tab, tick the boxes to clear your browser cache and cookies, or go to the Advanced tab for more options.
4. On the Time range drop menu, select All time.
5. Press Clear data once you're done.
6. While still on the Privacy and Security option, click on Security.
7. Select Enhanced protection to turn on enhanced protection.
8. Close the browser and restart the new browser to access the resource.
Part B: Clear Your Browser HSTS
If the above steps do not work, repeat them in addition to these steps.
- For Chrome browser, search for chrome://net-internals/#hsts in the address bar. (For Edge browser, search for edge://net-internals/#hsts in the address bar)
- In the Query HSTS/PKP domain field, type in nus.edu.sg. This should return some values.
- Scroll down the page and enter nus.edu.sg in the Delete domain security policies and press the Delete button
- Restart the Chrome or Edge browser (all Chrome/Edge windows must be closed) and try to access the website/domain again.
For Firefox Browser Privacy page, please select Strict - about:preferences#privacy
- Open Firefox, click the Library icon and select History > Clear Recent History.
- In the Clear All History window, set the Time range to clear drop-down menu to Everything.
- Next, expand the Details menu and uncheck every option except for Site Preferences.
- Click the Clear Now button to clear all site preferences including the HSTS settings.
- Restart Firefox and see if the issue has been resolved at the next startup.
If the issue persists, please email the URL of the e-resource you are attempting to access to NUS Libraries’ Ask a Librarian service at askalib@nus.edu.sg.
This error is commonly triggered by recent security updates in Chrome and other major browsers. We are currently working with publishers to update NUS Libraries’ subscribed e-resource URLs to “https” wherever possible.
Why am I seeing this message?
A “Your connection is not private” error appears when your browser cannot verify that a website is secure. Browsers display this warning to protect users from visiting sites that may expose personal information.
Your browser checks each website’s security certificate to confirm that the site can safeguard your privacy. If the certificate is outdated, invalid, or does not meet current standards, your data may not be encrypted and could be vulnerable to online threats.
In short, when this warning appears, it means your connection is not secure, and it should not be ignored.
While there are several possible causes, this error most frequently occurs due to issues with the site’s SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate—something only the website owner can fix.