Algorithm constraints check failed on signature algorithm: SHA256WithRSAEncryption

Question

For sometime I am noticing following error consistently, when servers are trying to connect other services using https. What action is to be taken to resolve this. Interestingly, it is happening only on few servers.

{http://xml.apache.org/axis/}stackTrace:javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: sun.security.validator.ValidatorException: PKIX path validation failed: java.security.cert.CertPathValidatorException: Algorithm constraints check failed on signature algorithm: SHA256WithRSAEncryption
    at sun.security.ssl.Alerts.getSSLException(Alerts.java:192)
    at sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.fatal(SSLSocketImpl.java:1959)
    at sun.security.ssl.Handshaker.fatalSE(Handshaker.java:302)
    ....
    ....
at com.xyz.rest.XyzService.call(XyzService.java:1239)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:266)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1149)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:624)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:748)
Caused by: javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: sun.security.validator.ValidatorException: PKIX path validation failed: java.security.cert.CertPathValidatorException: Algorithm constraints check failed on signature algorithm: SHA256WithRSAEncryption
    at sun.security.ssl.Alerts.getSSLException(Alerts.java:192)
    at sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.fatal(SSLSocketImpl.java:1959)
    at sun.security.ssl.Handshaker.fatalSE(Handshaker.java:302)
    at sun.security.ssl.Handshaker.fatalSE(Handshaker.java:296)
    at sun.security.ssl.ClientHandshaker.serverCertificate(ClientHandshaker.java:1514)
    at sun.security.ssl.ClientHandshaker.processMessage(ClientHandshaker.java:216)
    at sun.security.ssl.Handshaker.processLoop(Handshaker.java:1026)
    at sun.security.ssl.Handshaker.process_record(Handshaker.java:961)
    at sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.readRecord(SSLSocketImpl.java:1072)
    at sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.performInitialHandshake(SSLSocketImpl.java:1385)
    at sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.startHandshake(SSLSocketImpl.java:1413)
    at sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.startHandshake(SSLSocketImpl.java:1397)
    at org.apache.axis.components.net.JSSESocketFactory.create(JSSESocketFactory.java:186)
    at org.apache.axis.transport.http.HTTPSender.getSocket(HTTPSender.java:191)
    at org.apache.axis.transport.http.HTTPSender.writeToSocket(HTTPSender.java:404)
    at org.apache.axis.transport.http.HTTPSender.invoke(HTTPSender.java:138)
    ... 22 more
Caused by: sun.security.validator.ValidatorException: PKIX path validation failed: java.security.cert.CertPathValidatorException: Algorithm constraints check failed on signature algorithm: SHA256WithRSAEncryption
    at sun.security.validator.PKIXValidator.doValidate(PKIXValidator.java:362)
    at sun.security.validator.PKIXValidator.engineValidate(PKIXValidator.java:270)
    at sun.security.validator.Validator.validate(Validator.java:260)
    at sun.security.ssl.X509TrustManagerImpl.validate(X509TrustManagerImpl.java:324)
    at sun.security.ssl.X509TrustManagerImpl.checkTrusted(X509TrustManagerImpl.java:229)
    at sun.security.ssl.X509TrustManagerImpl.checkServerTrusted(X509TrustManagerImpl.java:124)
    at sun.security.ssl.ClientHandshaker.serverCertificate(ClientHandshaker.java:1496)
    ... 33 more
Caused by: java.security.cert.CertPathValidatorException: Algorithm constraints check failed on signature algorithm: SHA256WithRSAEncryption
    at org.bouncycastle.jce.provider.RFC3280CertPathUtilities.prepareNextCertO(Unknown Source)
    at org.bouncycastle.jce.provider.PKIXCertPathValidatorSpi.engineValidate(Unknown Source)
    at java.security.cert.CertPathValidator.validate(CertPathValidator.java:292)
    at sun.security.validator.PKIXValidator.doValidate(PKIXValidator.java:357)
    ... 39 more

Answer 1

Thanks all, but I found the answer to this problem. Had an older version of bouncy castle jar, after upgrading the the jar bcprov-jdk15on-1.58.jar, the "Algorithm constraints check failed on signature algorithm: SHA256WithRSAEncryption" error is no longer occurring.

Answer 2

Please, review the java configuration related to TLS in the affected servers, the SDK uses the security properties jdk.certpath.disabledAlgorithms and jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithm to disable algorithms during TLS protocol negotiation, and maybe SHA256WithRSAEncryption has been disabled.

You can find the value of these properties in the <install_dir>/jre/lib/security/java.security file of your Java installation.

Please, consider read this related article, it is for IBM SDK 8, but the behavior described should be the same or very similar for other SDK versions and vendors.

Also, consider to enable the java.security.debug environment property with a value of certpath or all when running your program in the affected servers:

-Djava.security.debug=certpath

It will provide you guidance and valuable information about what is going on and why Java is complaining about the algorithm.