TechNote (Archived)

Flash Player issues with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) communication

Data Loading fails when using a no-cache header Pragma

Because ofissues with Microsoft Internet Explorer, loading data via SSL into the Flash Player ActiveX control will not work if the server uses a no-cache header. The problem occurs if the server is using SSL and has added one or both of the following HTTP headers to the response message:

Pragma: no-cache Cache-control: no-cache,max-age=0,must-revalidate

To solve this issue and receive data via SSL in the Flash Player simply remove the no-cache settings that are listed above from the server.

Data will not load correctly with a Self-Signed Certificate

The Flash Player Active X control does not trust self-signed SSL certifications unless they are manually imported into the browser. This issue is normally seen on a testing environment when the users do not wish to have a fully signed SSL certificate installed on a testing server. To manually import a certificate simply choose Tools > Internet Options > the "Content" tab and select the Certificates button. The Certificates window then appears with the button along the bottom of the window to Import.

Note: The decision to use a self-signed certificate for final production will have implications for a website. Visitors to the website will have to import the certificate for data to load into a Flash Player movie, as described above. Visitors who do not accept the certification will have limited access to the website.