What is the SSL/TLS Handshake Auditor?
Connects to a host on port 443 and reads back its TLS certificate chain and negotiated protocol, then flags common problems like an expiring certificate or support for outdated TLS versions.
How it works
Basic mode opens a raw Node.js TLS socket (tls.connect) to the target, walks the returned certificate's issuer chain, and does a quick HEAD request to check for the HSTS header. Deep Scan mode instead submits the host to the Qualys SSL Labs API and polls it until the scan finishes, returning Qualys's own grade and protocol/cipher breakdown.
SysAdmin & security use cases
- Confirm a certificate renewal actually took effect before a maintenance window closes.
- Check whether an old server still accepts TLS 1.0/1.1 or weak ciphers like RC4.
- Read a certificate's Subject Alternative Names to see what other hostnames it covers.
- Pull a full Qualys SSL Labs grade for a domain without leaving the page.