Apache HttpClient resolving domain to IP address and not matching certificate

Question

When using the Apache HttpComponents HttpClient library (4.0.2) I'm having a problem where the certificate doesn't get validated properly. The certificate is valid for the domain name (let's call it example.com) however it's getting validated against the IP address instead:

hostname in certificate didn't match: <123.123.123.123> != <*.example.com>

My code for making the connection is:

    HttpParams httpParams = new BasicHttpParams();
    HttpConnectionParams.setConnectionTimeout(httpParams, 5000);
    HttpConnectionParams.setSoTimeout(httpParams, 5000);
    DefaultHttpClient httpClient = new DefaultHttpClient(httpParams);            
    String url = "https://www.example.com";
    HttpGet get = new HttpGet(url);
    HttpResponse httpResponse = httpClient.execute(get);
    String response = EntityUtils.toString(httpResponse.getEntity()).trim();

The certificate itself shows as valid when connecting through a web browser and is valid for the domain name I'm connecting to:

CN = *.example.com

The certificate is also added to the Java keystore (tested using regular HttpsURLConnection).

Any ideas why this code uses the IP address instead of the domain name?

Answer 1

Appears to be a known bug with HttpClient 4.0.2 - https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/HTTPCLIENT-996 The bug suggests any of the following:

• Upgrade to version 4.0.3 or newer
• Downgrade to 4.0.1
• Use the AllowAllHostnameVerifier