wget-ssl-debugrc: wget for SSL/TLS Debugging

Overview

`wget-ssl-debugrc` is primarily used by developers or system administrators when analyzing SSL/TLS communication issues with web servers or APIs. In addition to `wget`'s basic functionality, this tool provides detailed logs of the internal operations of SSL libraries (e.g., OpenSSL), helping to identify the root cause of problems.

Key Features

Detailed output of the SSL/TLS handshake process
Diagnosis of certificate validation and chain issues
Information on supported protocols and cipher suites
Includes all functionalities of standard `wget`

Key Options

`wget-ssl-debugrc` generally supports all standard `wget` options and internally activates specific debug flags. The following are particularly useful `wget` options for debugging.

Debug and Output Control

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Usage Examples

Various scenarios for diagnosing SSL/TLS connection issues using `wget-ssl-debugrc`.

Check Basic SSL Debug Information

wget-ssl-debugrc https://www.google.com

Outputs detailed SSL/TLS handshake and communication process for the specified URL.

Debug with Certificate Check Ignored

wget-ssl-debugrc --no-check-certificate https://self-signed.badssl.com/

Useful for diagnosing SSL issues on sites with invalid certificates. Exercise caution regarding security.

Save Debug Logs to a File

wget-ssl-debugrc https://example.com > ssl_debug.log 2>&1

Since the debug output can be extensive, redirecting it to a file for analysis is convenient.

Installation

`wget-ssl-debugrc` is not included by default in most Linux distributions. It is typically a specialized tool that requires compiling `wget` source code with specific debug flags or installing from a specific repository that provides debug builds of `wget`. Alternatively, it could be a shell script that sets debug environment variables for the `wget` command.

Installation Method

`wget-ssl-debugrc` often cannot be installed directly via standard package managers. The following is a general procedure for compiling `wget` source code in debug mode, and if `wget-ssl-debugrc` is a specific script, it might be installed by downloading and granting execute permissions to that script.

Compiling wget Source (Example)

git clone https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/wget.git
cd wget
./configure --enable-debug --with-ssl=openssl
make
sudo make install

This method outlines the general process of building a debug version of `wget` directly. `wget-ssl-debugrc` might have been created in a similar manner.

Note

If a script named `wget-ssl-debugrc` is provided in a specific environment, you can use it by downloading the script, granting it execute permissions, and adding it to your PATH. The exact installation method should be confirmed with the source providing the tool.

Tips & Precautions

Useful tips and points to consider when diagnosing SSL/TLS issues using `wget-ssl-debugrc`.

Usage Tips

**Log Analysis:** Analyze the extensive output logs by focusing on keywords like `SSL_connect`, `handshake`, `certificate`, and `protocol` to find clues to the problem.
**OpenSSL Environment Variables:** Setting OpenSSL environment variables such as `SSLKEYLOGFILE` can save TLS session keys to a file, allowing you to decrypt and analyze encrypted traffic with tools like Wireshark.
**Check Network Environment:** Verify if intermediate network devices such as firewalls, proxies, or load balancers are affecting SSL communication. Sometimes, intermediate devices can intercept or modify SSL traffic.

Precautions

**Security Risk:** The `--no-check-certificate` option bypasses server trust verification, making you vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Use it only for debugging and never in a production environment.
**Large Log Files:** Debug output can be very voluminous and overwhelm your terminal. It's advisable to always redirect logs to a file and analyze them using a text editor or `grep` (e.g., `> debug.log 2>&1`).
**Performance Impact:** Debug mode consumes significantly more resources and operates more slowly than normal execution.