Java SSLSocket: PKIX path building failed

Question

I want to connect to our university server using a SSL connection.

I have in a configuration folder the following files:
- client.policy
- uni_keystore.jks
- uni_server.cer
- uni_truststore.jks

client.policy file contains the following:

grant { 
  permission java.security.AllPermission ;
};

The connection to the server is established, but when i try to read from server i get the exception:

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

This is how i connect to the server (i trimmed the try/catch blocks to shorten the code):

Security.addProvider(new com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.Provider());
SSLSocketFactory factory = (SSLSocketFactory)SSLSocketFactory.getDefault();

String configPath = "C:/eclipse/workspace/uniproject/";

Properties systemProps = System.getProperties();
systemProps.put( "javax.net.ssl.trustStore", configPath+"uni_truststore.jks");
systemProps.put( "javax.net.ssl.keyStore", configPath+"uni_keystore.jks");
System.setProperties(systemProps);

s = (SSLSocket) factory.createSocket(UNI_ADDRESS, UNI_PORT);

I'm connecting to the server over my VPN.

And this is how i try to read (i trimmed the try/catch blocks to shorten the code):

InputStream istream = s.getInputStream();
BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader( new InputStreamReader(istream) );

String data;
do {
    // this lines throws exception
    data = reader.readLine();
    System.out.println(data);
}
while(data != null);

I'm not doing anything about client.policy and uni_server.cer files in the code. Could this be the problem? what am i missing?

Thanks.

---

2 more things:

- i installed the certification (before this post, i hadn't had)
- i added the line:

systemProps.put( "javax.net.ssl.keyStorePassword", "pass");

Answer 1

Try re-sequencing your calls like this:

String configPath = "C:/eclipse/workspace/uniproject/";
Properties systemProps = System.getProperties();
systemProps.put( "javax.net.ssl.trustStore", configPath+"uni_truststore.jks");
systemProps.put( "javax.net.ssl.keyStore", configPath+"uni_keystore.jks");
System.setProperties(systemProps);

Security.addProvider(new com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.Provider());
SSLSocketFactory factory = (SSLSocketFactory)SSLSocketFactory.getDefault();
s = (SSLSocket) factory.createSocket(UNI_ADDRESS, UNI_PORT);