Workaround for java.security.InvalidAlgorithmParameterException: the trustAnchors parameter must be non-empty

01_pkcs12-cacerts-workaround.sh

# Ubuntu 18.04 and various Docker images such as openjdk:9-jdk throw exceptions when
# Java applications use SSL and HTTPS, because Java 9 changed a file format, if you
# create that file from scratch, like Debian / Ubuntu do.
#
# Before applying, run your application with the Java command line parameter
#  java -Djavax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=changeit ...
# to verify that this workaround is relevant to your particular issue.
#
# The parameter by itself can be used as a workaround, as well.

# 0. First make yourself root with 'sudo bash'.

# 1. Save an empty JKS file with the default 'changeit' password for Java cacerts.
#    Use 'printf' instead of 'echo' for Dockerfile RUN compatibility.
/usr/bin/printf '\xfe\xed\xfe\xed\x00\x00\x00\x02\x00\x00\x00\x00\xe2\x68\x6e\x45\xfb\x43\xdf\xa4\xd9\x92\xdd\x41\xce\xb6\xb2\x1c\x63\x30\xd7\x92' > /etc/ssl/certs/java/cacerts

# 2. Re-add all the CA certs into the previously empty file.
/var/lib/dpkg/info/ca-certificates-java.postinst configure

02_generate_empty_jks_keystore.py

# How to generate an empty keystore for verification. You don't need to do this.
# pip3 install --user pyjks

import jks

def gen_jks(pwd):
    data = jks.KeyStore.new('jks', []).saves(pwd)
    text = ''.join(['\\x%02x' % x for x in data])
    print('<%s> %s' % (pwd, text))

gen_jks('changeit')

03_stacktrace.txt

javax.net.ssl.SSLException: java.lang.RuntimeException: Unexpected error: java.security.InvalidAlgorithmParameterException: the trustAnchors parameter must be non-empty
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.Alerts.getSSLException(Alerts.java:214)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.fatal(SSLSocketImpl.java:1974)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.fatal(SSLSocketImpl.java:1926)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.handleException(SSLSocketImpl.java:1909)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.startHandshake(SSLSocketImpl.java:1436)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.startHandshake(SSLSocketImpl.java:1413)
	at java.base/sun.net.www.protocol.https.HttpsClient.afterConnect(HttpsClient.java:567)
	at java.base/sun.net.www.protocol.https.AbstractDelegateHttpsURLConnection.connect(AbstractDelegateHttpsURLConnection.java:185)
	at java.base/sun.net.www.protocol.http.HttpURLConnection.getInputStream0(HttpURLConnection.java:1581)
	at java.base/sun.net.www.protocol.http.HttpURLConnection.getInputStream(HttpURLConnection.java:1509)
	at java.base/java.net.HttpURLConnection.getResponseCode(HttpURLConnection.java:527)
	at java.base/sun.net.www.protocol.https.HttpsURLConnectionImpl.getResponseCode(HttpsURLConnectionImpl.java:329)
	at TestHttps.main(TestHttps.java:8)
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Unexpected error: java.security.InvalidAlgorithmParameterException: the trustAnchors parameter must be non-empty
	at java.base/sun.security.validator.PKIXValidator.<init>(PKIXValidator.java:89)
	at java.base/sun.security.validator.Validator.getInstance(Validator.java:181)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.X509TrustManagerImpl.getValidator(X509TrustManagerImpl.java:330)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.X509TrustManagerImpl.checkTrustedInit(X509TrustManagerImpl.java:180)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.X509TrustManagerImpl.checkTrusted(X509TrustManagerImpl.java:192)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.X509TrustManagerImpl.checkServerTrusted(X509TrustManagerImpl.java:133)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.ClientHandshaker.checkServerCerts(ClientHandshaker.java:1947)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.ClientHandshaker.serverCertificate(ClientHandshaker.java:1777)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.ClientHandshaker.processMessage(ClientHandshaker.java:264)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.Handshaker.processLoop(Handshaker.java:1098)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.Handshaker.processRecord(Handshaker.java:1026)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.processInputRecord(SSLSocketImpl.java:1137)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.readRecord(SSLSocketImpl.java:1074)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.readRecord(SSLSocketImpl.java:973)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.performInitialHandshake(SSLSocketImpl.java:1402)
	at java.base/sun.security.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.startHandshake(SSLSocketImpl.java:1429)
	... 8 more
Caused by: java.security.InvalidAlgorithmParameterException: the trustAnchors parameter must be non-empty
	at java.base/java.security.cert.PKIXParameters.setTrustAnchors(PKIXParameters.java:200)
	at java.base/java.security.cert.PKIXParameters.<init>(PKIXParameters.java:120)
	at java.base/java.security.cert.PKIXBuilderParameters.<init>(PKIXBuilderParameters.java:104)
	at java.base/sun.security.validator.PKIXValidator.<init>(PKIXValidator.java:86)
	... 23 more

Thank you alot. Had a similar problem with building Android projects with Jenkins on Ubuntu 18 after doing an upgrade.

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "a.py", line 11, in
gen_jks('changeit')
File "a.py", line 8, in gen_jks
text = ''.join(['\x%02x' % x for x in data])
TypeError: %x format: a number is required, not str

It is showing this error

@dhireshartron, and are you running it on Python 3, as was implied in the comment?