Peer Unverified Exception accessing secure web sites with HttpClient

When trying to access to secure web sites (https protocol) using apache HttpClient library, sometimes you can get the following error:

javax.net.ssl.SSLPeerUnverifiedException: peer not authenticated
at sun.security.ssl.SSLSessionImpl.getPeerCertificates(SSLSessionImpl.java:371)
at org.apache.http.conn.ssl.AbstractVerifier.verify(AbstractVerifier.java:129)
at org.apache.http.conn.ssl.SSLSocketFactory.connectSocket(SSLSocketFactory.java:326)
at org.apache.http.impl.conn.DefaultClientConnectionOperator.openConnection(DefaultClientConnectionOperator.java:129)
at org.apache.http.impl.conn.AbstractPoolEntry.open(AbstractPoolEntry.java:164)
at org.apache.http.impl.conn.AbstractPooledConnAdapter.open(AbstractPooledConnAdapter.java:119)
at org.apache.http.impl.client.DefaultRequestDirector.execute(DefaultRequestDirector.java:349)
at org.apache.http.impl.client.AbstractHttpClient.execute(AbstractHttpClient.java:555)
at org.apache.http.impl.client.AbstractHttpClient.execute(AbstractHttpClient.java:487)
at org.apache.http.impl.client.AbstractHttpClient.execute(AbstractHttpClient.java:465)

This exception occurs when page is sending a non trusted certificate. So, the solution to this exception is to import the certificate into your trusted certificates database.

• Step 1. Export web page authenticate.
  

Use a browser to access the web site you want to access with HttpClient. Go to "privacity->certificates" options in the browser and export it to a ".cert" file

• Step 2. Create truststore file.

Import the ".cert" file in a truststore database. Use the following command:

keytool -import -v -trustcacerts -alias certAlias -keypass changeme -file thefile.cert -keystore truststore -storepass changeme

• Step 3. Copy "truststore" file to your project.
• Step 4. Add the following code (in Groovy):
  

def keyStore = java.security.KeyStore.getInstance( KeyStore.defaultType )
      
def store =getClass().getResourceAsStream( "/cert/truststore" )
keyStore.load( store, "thepassword".toCharArray() )
client.connectionManager.schemeRegistry.register(
                       new Scheme("https", new SSLSocketFactory(keyStore), 443) )

Where "client" is the HttpClient instance.

• IMPROTANT NOTE. "truststore" file mus be generated with JKS format. OpenJDK uses GKR format by default wich is not compatible. Sun JDK uses JKS format by default.