This document is provided by Netscape for your information only. It may help you take certain steps to protect
the privacy and security of your personal information on the Internet. This document does not, however, address
all online privacy and security issues, nor does it represent a recommendation by Netscape about what constitutes
adequate privacy and security protection on the Internet.
Certificate Manager
This section describes how to use the Certificate Manager. For more information on using certificates, see
Using Certificates.
If you are not currently viewing the Certificate Manager window, follow these steps:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Under the Privacy & Security category, click Certificates. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click
Privacy & Security to expand the list.)
- Click Manage Certificates.
Your Certificates
The Your Certificates tab in the Certificate Manager displays the certificates on
file that identify you. Your certificates are listed under the names of the organisations that issued them:
- If you can't see certificate names under an organisation's name, double-click the name.
- To select a certificate, click its name.
- To select more than one certificate, hold down the Control key and click their names.
To perform the following actions, select one or more certificates and click one of the following buttons:
- View: Display detailed information about the selected certificates.
- Backup: Initiate the process of saving the selected certificates. A window appears that allows you to
choose a password to protect the backup. You can then save the backup in a directory of your choice.
- Delete: Delete the selected certificates.
These actions do not require a certificate to be selected:
- Import: Import a file containing one or more certificates that were previously backed up. When you
click Import, Certificate Manager first asks you to locate the file that contains the backup. The names of
certificate backup files typically end in .p12; for example, MyCert.p12. After you select the
file to be imported, Certificate Manager asks you to enter the password that you set when you backed up the
certificate.
-
Backup All: Initiate the process of saving all the certificates stored in the Software Security Device.
Note: Certificates on smart cards cannot be backed up. Whether you select some of your certificates
and click Backup, or click Backup All, the resulting backup file will not include any certificates stored on
smart cards or other external security devices. You can only back up certificates that are stored on the
built-in Software Security Device.
Choose a Certificate Backup Password
A certificate backup password protects one or more certificates that you are backing up from the Your Certificates tab in the Certificate Manager.
The Certificate Manager asks you to set this password when you back up certificates and requests it when you
attempt to import certificates that have previously been backed up.
- Certificate backup password: Type your backup password into this field.
- Certificate backup password (again): Type your backup password again. If you don't type it the second
time exactly as you did the first time, the OK button remains inactive. If this happens, try typing the new
password again.
If someone obtains the file containing a certificate that you have backed up and successfully imports the
certificate, that person can send messages or access web sites while pretending to be you. This can be a problem,
for example, if you digitally sign important email messages or manage your bank or investment accounts over the
Internet.
Therefore, it's important to select a certificate backup password that is difficult to guess. The password
quality meter gives you a rough idea of the quality of your password as you type it based on factors such as
length and the use of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. It does not guarantee that your
password cannot be guessed, however.
For further guidelines, see the online document Choosing a Good Password.
It's also important to record the password in a safe place—and not anywhere that's easily accessible to
someone else. If you forget this password, you can't import the backup of your certificate.
Delete Your Certificates
Before deleting one of your own expired certificates from the Your Certificates
tab in the Certificate Manager, make sure you won't need it again some day for reading old email messages that you
may have encrypted with the corresponding private key.
Other People's Certificates
The Other People's tab in the Certificate Manager displays email certificates you
have on file that identify other people.
When people send you digitally signed email messages, Certificate Manager imports their certificates
automatically. You can use these certificates to send encrypted messages to those people.
Other people's certificates are listed under the names of the organisations that issued them:
- If you can't see certificate names under an organisation's name, double-click the name.
- To select a certificate, click its name.
- To select more than one certificate, hold down the Control key and click their names.
To perform the following actions, select one or more certificates and click one of the following buttons:
- View: Display detailed information about the selected certificates.
- Delete: Delete the selected certificates.
Delete Email Certificates
Before deleting someone else's certificate from the Other People's
tab in the Certificate Manager, make sure you won't need it again some day to send encrypted email to that person
or to verify digital signatures on messages from that person.
Web Site Certificates
The Web Sites tab in the Certificate Manager displays certificates you have on file that identify web
sites.
Web site certificates are grouped under the names of the organisations that issued them:
- If you can't see certificate names under an organisation's name, double-click the name.
- To select a certificate, click its name.
- To select more than one certificate, hold down the Control key and click their names.
To perform the following actions, select one or more certificates and click one of the following buttons:
- View: Display detailed information about the selected certificates.
- Edit: View or change the trust settings that Certificate Manager associates with the selected
certificates. You can use these settings to designate a web site certificate as one that you trust or don't trust
for identification purposes.
- Delete: Delete the selected certificates.
Edit Web Site Certificate Trust Settings
When you select a web site certificate from the Web Sites tab in the
Certificate Manager and click Edit, you see a window entitled "Edit web site certificate trust settings." Here you
specify whether you want to trust the selected certificate for identifying the web site and setting up an
encrypted connection.
The dialogue box contains these elements:
- The certificate "name of certificate" was issued by: Provides information about the certificate authority that issued this certificate.
- Edit certificate trust settings:
-
- Trust the authenticity of this certificate: If you select this option, Certificate Manager will
henceforth trust this certificate for the purposes of identifying this web site or setting up an encrypted
connection. If you select this option and then attempt to visit the web site, your browser will access the site
with few, if any, warnings.
- Do not trust the authenticity of this certificate: If you select this option, Certificate Manager
will no longer trust this certificate for the purposes of identifying this web site or setting up an encrypted
connection. If you select this option and then attempt to visit the web site, you will see one or more warning
messages before you can access the site.
- Edit CA Trust: Click this button to specify trust settings for the certificate authority (CA) that
issued the web site certificate. These settings allow you to trust or not to trust different kinds of
certificates issued by that certificate authority. For example, you can choose to trust all web site certificates
issued by the authority.
Click OK to confirm your choice.
Delete Web Site Certificates
Before deleting a web site certificate from the Web Sites tab in the
Certificate Manager, make sure that you won't need it again for the purposes of identifying a web site and setting
up an encrypted connection.
Authorities
The Authorities tab in the Certificate Manager displays the certificates you have on
file that identify certificate authorities (CAs).
CA certificates are grouped under the names of the organisations that issued them:
- If you can't see CA certificate names under an organisation's name, double-click the name.
- To select a CA certificate, click its name.
- To select more than one CA certificate, hold down the Control key and click their names.
To perform these actions, select the certificates on which you want to act and click one of these buttons:
- View: Display detailed information about the selected certificates.
- Edit: View or change the settings that Certificate Manager associates with the selected certificates.
You can use these settings to designate what kinds of certificates, if any, you trust that are issued by the
corresponding CAs.
- Delete: Delete the selected certificates.
To ensure that an entire certificate chain of CAs are all
trusted, you need to edit the root CA certificate only.
To import the chain, you click a link on a web page provided by the CA. You can then use the authorities tab to
locate the root certificate and edit its trust settings.
The root and intermediate CAs all appear under the same organisation. The root certificate is the one that
lists itself as the the issuer.
If you download an intermediate CA: If you download an intermediate CA certificate that chains to a root
certificate already marked as trusted in your browser, you don't have indicate what purposes you trust it for.
Intermediate certificates automatically inherit the trust settings of their roots.
Edit CA Certificate Trust Settings
When you select a CA certificate from the Authorities tab in the Certificate
Manager and click Edit, you see a window entitled "Edit CA certificate trust settings." Here you specify the kinds
of certificates you trust this CA to certify. If you deselect all the checkboxes, Certificate Manager will not
trust any certificates issued by this CA.
The settings have these effects:
- This certificate can identify web sites: Certificate Manager will trust certificates issued by this CA
for the purpose of identifying web sites and encrypting web site connections. If you deselect this checkbox,
Certificate Manager will not trust web site certificates issued by this CA.
- This certificate can identify mail users: Certificate Manager will trust certificates issued by this
CA for the purpose of signing or encrypting email. If you deselect this checkbox, Certificate Manager will not
trust email certificates issued by this CA.
- This certificate can identify software makers: Certificate Manager will trust certificates issued by
this CA for the purpose of identifying software makers. If you deselect this checkbox, Certificate Manager will
not trust such certificates issued by this CA.
Click OK to confirm the settings you have selected.
Delete CA Certificates
Before deleting a CA certificate from the Authorities tab in the Certificate
Manager, make sure that you won't need it again to validate certificates issued by that CA. If you delete the only
valid certificate you have for a CA, Certificate Manager will no longer trust any certificates issued by that
CA.
Device Manager
This section describes the options available in the Device Manager window. For background information and
step-by-step instructions on the use of the Device Manager, see Manage Smart Cards and Other Security Devices.
If you are not currently viewing the Device Manager window, follow these steps:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Under the Privacy & Security category, click Certificates. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click
Privacy & Security to expand the list.)
- In the Certificates panel, click Manage Security Devices.
The Device Manager lists each available PKCS #11 module and the security devices managed by each module below
the module's name.
When you select a module or device, information about the selected item appears in the middle of the window and
some of the buttons on the right side of the window become available. In general, you perform an action on a
module or device by selecting its name and clicking the appropriate button:
- Log In: Log into the selected security device. After you have logged in to the device, the frequency
with which you will be asked to enter the master password for the device depends on the Master Password Timeout settings.
- Log Out: Log out of the selected security device. After you have logged out of the device, the device
and the certificates it contains will not be available until you log in again.
- Change Password: Change the master password for the selected security device.
- Load: Displays a dialogue box that allows you to specify the name and location of a new PKCS #11
module. Before adding a new module, you should first install the module software on your computer and if
necessary connect any associated hardware device. Follow the instructions provided by the vendor.
- Unload: Unload the selected module. If you unload a module, both the module and its security devices
are no longer available for use by the browser.
- Enable FIPS: Turns the FIPS mode on and off. For more information, see Enable FIPS Mode.
8 October 2002
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