Fixing 'Security check could not be set up' Error

From time to time you may find that you are unable to perform YourSites tasks on one of your client sites e.g. checking for updates. If you expand the [ + ] icon in the popup feedback dialog you may see a message that reads:
Security check could not be set up
This article explains what this means and how you can revover from this problem and restablish the connection to your client site.

What does 'Security check could not be set up' mean?

Each time YourSites communicates with a client site it establishes a new secure connection with the client site using a unique, time sensitive security token. The client site validates the encryption of the messages sent from the YourSites server using a combination of this special time sensitive token and the Site specific private key set in both the YourSites plugin on the client site and the site entry on the YourSites server.
If the client site fails to validate the communication in this way it will throw the 'Security check could not be set up' error and refuse to undertake any other actions. This is an intentional security mechanism.

Why do 'Security check could not be set up' problems arise?

The most common reasons the problem arises is
  • The site entry in YourSites or the plugin on the client site has been edited and the Site specific private key is no longer in sync between the two.
  • The YourSites server or client site has been restored from a backup and the Site specific private key is no longer in sync between the two.
  • For some reason the update of the client plugin failed leaving the security keys out of syn

How do we resolve 'Security check could not be set up' problems?

There are a few alternatives
  • In two browser tabs edit the client site plugin and the site entry in YourSites and copy the "Site specific private key" from one to the other and save the one you changed
  • In the list of sites in YourSites select the site with the communication problem and select 'YourSites => Site Specific YourSites', then install the downloaded file on the affected client site
In general doing a restoration of a backup of your YourSites server is NOT the best course of action since it may break the linkage with all your client sites.

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https://extensions.joomla.org/extension/yoursites-manager/

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