diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jruby/ext/openssl/OpenSSL.java b/src/main/java/org/jruby/ext/openssl/OpenSSL.java
index 4247d943..7330f650 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jruby/ext/openssl/OpenSSL.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jruby/ext/openssl/OpenSSL.java
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ public static void createOpenSSL(final Ruby runtime) {
 
         runtime.getLoadService().require("jopenssl/version");
 
-        final byte[] version = { '2','.','2','.','3' };
+        final byte[] version = { '2','.','2','.','3' }; // C OpenSSL gem version
 
         _OpenSSL.setConstant("VERSION", StringHelper.newString(runtime, version));
 
@@ -97,13 +97,18 @@ public static void createOpenSSL(final Ruby runtime) {
         final RubyString jVERSION = JOpenSSL.getConstantAt("VERSION").asString();
 
         final byte[] JRuby_OpenSSL_ = { 'J','R','u','b','y','-','O','p','e','n','S','S','L',' ' };
-        final int OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER = 999999999; // NOTE: smt more useful?
-
         ByteList OPENSSL_VERSION = new ByteList( jVERSION.getByteList().getRealSize() + JRuby_OpenSSL_.length );
         OPENSSL_VERSION.setEncoding( jVERSION.getEncoding() );
         OPENSSL_VERSION.append( JRuby_OpenSSL_ );
         OPENSSL_VERSION.append( jVERSION.getByteList() );
 
+        // < 3.0.0 until we have decent (full) compatibility
+        final byte OPENSSL_VERSION_MAJOR = 2;
+        final byte OPENSSL_VERSION_MINOR = 9;
+        final byte OPENSSL_VERSION_PATCH = 9;
+        final byte OPENSSL_VERSION_PRE_RELEASE = 0;
+        final int OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER = OPENSSL_VERSION_MAJOR << 28 | OPENSSL_VERSION_MINOR << 20 | OPENSSL_VERSION_PATCH << 4 | OPENSSL_VERSION_PRE_RELEASE;
+
         final RubyString VERSION;
         _OpenSSL.setConstant("OPENSSL_VERSION", VERSION = runtime.newString(OPENSSL_VERSION));
         _OpenSSL.setConstant("OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER", runtime.newFixnum(OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER));
diff --git a/src/test/ruby/test_openssl.rb b/src/test/ruby/test_openssl.rb
index 9b4cf8a2..cda69766 100644
--- a/src/test/ruby/test_openssl.rb
+++ b/src/test/ruby/test_openssl.rb
@@ -27,6 +27,11 @@ def test_version
     assert /\AOpenSSL +0\./ !~ OpenSSL::OPENSSL_LIBRARY_VERSION
   end
 
+  # some gems check this - better to be conservative until 3.0.0 APIs are fully supported
+  def test_version_lt_3_0_0
+    assert OpenSSL::OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER < 3 * 0x10000000
+  end
+
   def test_debug
     debug = OpenSSL.debug
     assert (OpenSSL.debug == true || OpenSSL.debug == false)