I am having an issue after many years without incident using the AIM module on a client's store. Starting just a short while ago, the error:

WARNING: Security hash problem. Please contact store-owner immediately. Your order has not been fully authorized.

is displayed when some customers attempt to check out using the AIM payment module. While I was testing this just now (after the client alerted me that two customers got the error) I received the error but another customer completed their checkout without incident a few minutes later.

In my research into the issue so far I've only come across a few threads from a long time ago. The one which seemed most pertinent was: http://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?178902-Comm-error-and-Security-Hash-Error-Other-threads-r-no-help-%28&highlight=Security+hash+problem yet this seemed to be an issue of using CURL proxy (which I am not).

I'm not sure if I should reset something with Authorize.net or do something on the ZenCart end? Is this an issue of some kind of temporary network problem communicating between my client's site and Authorize.net? I'm just baffled why this keeps popping up every few weeks and then going away without my doing anything.

Below is the Debug log from my failed checkout attempt in case anyone can spot the source of the trouble. By the way, while drafting this post, I tried to check out again with all the same info and succeeded this time.

Sep-17-2014 07:01:24
=================================


Comm results: 28 Connection time-out


Response Code: .
Response Text: 


Sending to Authorizenet: Array
(
    [x_login] => *******
    [x_tran_key] => *******
    [x_relay_response] => FALSE
    [x_delim_data] => TRUE
    [x_delim_char] => |
    [x_encap_char] => *
    [x_version] => 3.1
    [x_type] => AUTH_ONLY
    [x_method] => CC
    [x_amount] => 18.94
    [x_currency_code] => USD
    [x_card_num] => XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX8109
    [x_exp_date] => 0914
    [x_card_code] => 
    [x_email_customer] => FALSE
    [x_email_merchant] => FALSE
    [x_cust_id] => 1
    [x_invoice_num] => 13724-OEytSi
    [x_first_name] => Ellie
    [x_last_name] => Armsby
    [x_company] => 
    [x_address] => 664 W. Johnson St.
    [x_city] => Philadelphia
    [x_state] => Pennsylvania
    [x_zip] => 19144
    [x_country] => United States
    [x_phone] => 215-480-6847
    [x_email] => [email protected]
    [x_ship_to_first_name] => Ellie
    [x_ship_to_last_name] => Armsby
    [x_ship_to_address] => 664 W. Johnson St.
    [x_ship_to_city] => Philadelphia
    [x_ship_to_state] => Pennsylvania
    [x_ship_to_zip] => 19144
    [x_ship_to_country] => United States
    [x_description] => 20th Century Harpsichord Music, Vol II [CD] (qty: 1) 
    [x_recurring_billing] => NO
    [x_customer_ip] => 108.52.217.46
    [x_po_num] => Sep-17-2014 07:01:04
    [x_freight] => 3.99
    [x_tax_exempt] => FALSE
    [x_tax] => 0.00
    [x_duty] => 0
    [x_allow_partial_Auth] => FALSE
    [Date] => September 17, 2014, 7:01 pm
    [IP] => 108.52.217.46
    [Session] => 4ac45b797944bbce32a87f92853dd3dc
    [url] => https://secure.authorize.net/gateway/transact.dll
)




Results Received back from Authorizenet: Array
(
    [0] => Response from gateway
    [1] => 
    [Expected-MD5-Hash] => 06504751CE57377FCE42D6D7A277FBD7
    [HashMatchStatus] => FAIL
)




CURL communication info: Array
(
    [url] => https://secure.authorize.net/gateway/transact.dll
    [content_type] => 
    [http_code] => 0
    [header_size] => 0
    [request_size] => 0
    [filetime] => -1
    [ssl_verify_result] => 0
    [redirect_count] => 0
    [total_time] => 0
    [namelookup_time] => 20.143244
    [connect_time] => 0
    [pretransfer_time] => 0
    [size_upload] => 0
    [size_download] => 0
    [speed_download] => 0
    [speed_upload] => 0
    [download_content_length] => -1
    [upload_content_length] => -1
    [starttransfer_time] => 0
    [redirect_time] => 0
    [certinfo] => Array
        (
        )


    [primary_ip] => 
    [primary_port] => 0
    [local_ip] => 
    [local_port] => 0
    [redirect_url] => 
)




RAW data received: 

earmsby:

Sep-17-2014 07:01:24

Comm results: 28 Connection time-out

Based on the information of the first line: Conn: 28 connection timeout, it looks like the information never made it to/from authorize.net. That would seem to explain the "bad" hash, as there wasn't information back that could be processed. My thought as I had a problem with curl activity using a different payment gateway is. That the host should be notified/contacted as well as authorize.net aas there may be some setting/configuration between the two that is blocking traffic (has been seen when new security protocols have been installed in various server clusters).

There is also a test program to see if the curl communiciation is an issue, I can't remember which of the directories it is included in a vanilla install, but it's one of the extra directories one folder in from the store's root.  I think it was called curltester, but again it's been more than a year since I've had to use/test with it.