diff --git a/lib/launcher.rb b/lib/launcher.rb
index 0967485bb..a245c4ca2 100644
--- a/lib/launcher.rb
+++ b/lib/launcher.rb
@@ -118,13 +118,46 @@ def resolve_tls_ciphers
       return nil if configured&.empty?
       return configured unless configured.nil?
 
-      if File.exist?(CRYPTO_POLICIES_CONFIG)
-        logger.info "Crypto-policies detected, using PROFILE=SYSTEM for TLS ciphers."
-        'PROFILE=SYSTEM'
-      else
+      unless File.exist?(CRYPTO_POLICIES_CONFIG)
         logger.debug "No crypto-policies detected, using HIGH cipher string as default."
-        'HIGH'
+        return 'HIGH'
+      end
+
+      if cipher_string_supported?('PROFILE=SYSTEM')
+        logger.info "Crypto-policies detected, using PROFILE=SYSTEM for TLS ciphers."
+        return 'PROFILE=SYSTEM'
       end
+
+      cipher_string = crypto_policies_cipher_string
+      if cipher_string && cipher_string_supported?(cipher_string)
+        logger.info "Crypto-policies detected, but this OpenSSL build does not support the " \
+                    "'PROFILE=SYSTEM' cipher-list alias. Using the CipherString resolved from " \
+                    "#{CRYPTO_POLICIES_CONFIG} directly instead."
+        return cipher_string
+      end
+
+      logger.warn "Crypto-policies detected but could not be applied on this Ruby/OpenSSL build; " \
+                  "falling back to the 'HIGH' cipher string."
+      'HIGH'
+    end
+
+    # Extracted so resolve_tls_ciphers can probe candidate cipher strings before
+    # committing to them, instead of only discovering they're unusable at startup.
+    def cipher_string_supported?(ciphers)
+      OpenSSL::SSL::SSLContext.new.ciphers = ciphers
+      true
+    rescue OpenSSL::SSL::SSLError
+      false
+    end
+
+    def crypto_policies_cipher_string
+      File.foreach(CRYPTO_POLICIES_CONFIG) do |line|
+        return Regexp.last_match(1).strip if line =~ /^CipherString\s*=\s*(.+)$/
+      end
+      nil
+    rescue SystemCallError => e
+      logger.warn "Unable to read #{CRYPTO_POLICIES_CONFIG}: #{e.message}"
+      nil
     end
 
     def validate_tls_ciphers!(ciphers)
@@ -135,12 +168,7 @@ def validate_tls_ciphers!(ciphers)
                     "The system crypto policy minimum TLS version may be overridden by this setting."
       end
 
-      cipher_list = begin
-        OpenSSL::SSL::SSLContext.new.ciphers = ciphers
-        ciphers
-      rescue OpenSSL::SSL::SSLError
-        nil
-      end
+      cipher_list = cipher_string_supported?(ciphers) ? ciphers : nil
 
       if OpenSSL::SSL::SSLContext.method_defined?(:ciphersuites=)
         ciphersuites = begin
diff --git a/test/launcher_test.rb b/test/launcher_test.rb
index df8195e53..b5b0c84ac 100644
--- a/test/launcher_test.rb
+++ b/test/launcher_test.rb
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ def test_resolve_tls_ciphers_raises_on_non_string
   def test_resolve_tls_ciphers_autodetects_profile_system_when_crypto_policies_present
     launcher = launcher_with({})
     File.expects(:exist?).with(CRYPTO_POLICIES_CONFIG).returns(true)
+    launcher.stubs(:cipher_string_supported?).with('PROFILE=SYSTEM').returns(true)
     launcher.logger.stubs(:info)
     assert_equal 'PROFILE=SYSTEM', launcher.resolve_tls_ciphers
   end
@@ -64,6 +65,35 @@ def test_resolve_tls_ciphers_defaults_to_high_when_no_crypto_policies
     assert_equal 'HIGH', launcher.resolve_tls_ciphers
   end
 
+  def test_resolve_tls_ciphers_falls_back_to_parsed_cipher_string_when_profile_system_unsupported
+    launcher = launcher_with({})
+    File.expects(:exist?).with(CRYPTO_POLICIES_CONFIG).returns(true)
+    launcher.stubs(:cipher_string_supported?).with('PROFILE=SYSTEM').returns(false)
+    launcher.stubs(:crypto_policies_cipher_string).returns('HIGH:!aNULL')
+    launcher.stubs(:cipher_string_supported?).with('HIGH:!aNULL').returns(true)
+    launcher.logger.stubs(:info)
+    assert_equal 'HIGH:!aNULL', launcher.resolve_tls_ciphers
+  end
+
+  def test_resolve_tls_ciphers_falls_back_to_high_when_crypto_policies_unparseable
+    launcher = launcher_with({})
+    File.expects(:exist?).with(CRYPTO_POLICIES_CONFIG).returns(true)
+    launcher.stubs(:cipher_string_supported?).with('PROFILE=SYSTEM').returns(false)
+    launcher.stubs(:crypto_policies_cipher_string).returns(nil)
+    launcher.logger.stubs(:warn)
+    assert_equal 'HIGH', launcher.resolve_tls_ciphers
+  end
+
+  def test_resolve_tls_ciphers_falls_back_to_high_when_parsed_cipher_string_also_unsupported
+    launcher = launcher_with({})
+    File.expects(:exist?).with(CRYPTO_POLICIES_CONFIG).returns(true)
+    launcher.stubs(:cipher_string_supported?).with('PROFILE=SYSTEM').returns(false)
+    launcher.stubs(:crypto_policies_cipher_string).returns('BOGUS')
+    launcher.stubs(:cipher_string_supported?).with('BOGUS').returns(false)
+    launcher.logger.stubs(:warn)
+    assert_equal 'HIGH', launcher.resolve_tls_ciphers
+  end
+
   def test_validate_tls_ciphers_returns_nil_pair_for_nil
     assert_equal [nil, nil], @launcher.validate_tls_ciphers!(nil)
   end