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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-22T14:35:49+00:00

Summary: We currently have a directory which is password-protected using the Apache BasicAuth module,

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Summary:

We currently have a directory which is password-protected using the Apache BasicAuth module, via .htaccess and a linked .htpasswd file. For some time, this has functioned without error, however recently Google Chrome alone has begun reacting poorly to the configuration.

This is what occurs:

From Google Chrome, the user visits the url of the directory which is password-protected via BasicAuth. Upon the entry of a correct username and password, Google Chrome immediately reports that "The webpage is not available." The error code is "Error 15 (net::ERR_SOCKET_NOT_CONNECTED): Unknown Error", as if navigating to a non-existent server.

When the user refreshes the page, however, it loads perfectly as if nothing happened. No other problems occur until the user restarts the browser, navigates to this URL again, and is forced to re-enter their BasicAuth username and password. Again, so far as we can tell, this error occurs only in Google Chrome.

This scenario has been identified in various different iterations of Chrome version 11.0.696.*.

Potential Influences:

Depending on whether the user accesses the directory in question without a trailing-forward slash (we are using mod_rewrite in this case), the HTTP response was formerly either one or two redirects. (Visiting the URL without a trailing forward-slash redirects the browser to the URL with a trailing forward-slash.) We have since eliminated the need for the second redirect, and this solved the problem for some users, however other users experience the error with and without an HTTP redirect following the BasicAuth login.

Any assistance and/or insight would be greatly appreciated.

The relevant lines of our .htaccess file:

AuthUserFile /path/to/.htpasswd
AuthGroupFile /dev/null
AuthName "LOREM-IPSUM"
AuthType Basic

<Limit GET POST>
require valid-user
</Limit>

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /path/
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -s [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -l [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^.$ – [NC,L]
RewriteRule ^.$ ./index.php [NC,L]

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Just noticed it is a pending problem on Chrome browser while it was reported to happen on particular OS. Password protected directory seems to be a source of error in this case. Still suffering myself:(

    You may keep tracking in Google forum to see if anything has improved:

    http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Chrome/thread?tid=4b52bba5c0c1487e&hl=en&fid=4b52bba5c0c1487e0004a3ab437db6f5

    This bug has been inherited since last couple of releases.

    Hope Google guys can sort this out soon.

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