Installing the SSU Certificate Authority

SSU has a new certificate authority. To avoid problems accessing SSU's secure email and web servers, please download and install the new certificate.

Jump to instructions for:

The procedure for installing a root certificate varies depending on the browser you use.

Internet Explorer, Outlook Express on Windows

If you are using Internet Explorer/Outlook Express:

  1. Download the SSU IT CA Certificate.
  2. When asked whether to save or open the file, choose to open it.
  3. You will see a small window containing some of the certificate's information. Near the lower right hand corner of this window is a button labelled "Install Certificate...". Click this button.
  4. Click "Next" twice and then "Finish", accepting the defaults.

Internet Explorer has now accepted the SSU Information Technology Certificate Authority and both Internet Explorer and Outlook Express can seamlessly access SSL protected services (IMAP over SSL, POP over SSL, HTTPS, etc.) which have IT issued certificates.

Safari, OSX Mail, and Entourage on Macintosh

If you are using OS X Mail or Entourage in OS 10.3 and higher:

  1. Download the SSU IT CA Certificate. (Hold down the Control Key on your keyboard, then click on the link. Select "Save Link As..." from the menu that comes up. You will then be asked to choose a location to save the file to)
  2. Locate the ca.cert file on your local computer.
  3. Double click the ca2037.crt file and wait for the Keychain Access application to launch.
  4. In the Add Certificates pop-up box, change the Keychain drop down menu from "login" to "X509 Anchors" then click OK.
  5. When prompted, enter your password for the local computer then click OK.
  6. Quit the Keychain Access application.

Internet Explorer, Outlook Express on Macintosh

Note: after installing the certificate, you will be required to enter a password whenever you visit a website using SSL (URLs beginning with https://). If this causes an inconvenience for you, you may wish to use Safari, Firefox, Netscape Navigator, Mozilla or some other browser for web access.

Internet Explorer is not supported in Macintosh OS 10.4 (Tiger) and therefore the SSU Security Certificate is incompatible with Internet Explorer on Macintosh OS 10.4 (Tiger).

If you are using Internet Explorer/Outlook Express:

  1. Download the SSU IT CA Certificate.
  2. Click the View Certificate Authority button.
  3. Click both checkboxes and the Accept button.
  4. You will be asked to create a password. Use something you will easily remember. You can use a blank password if you wish. Click the OK button.
  5. Enter the password again to confirm it and click OK.
  6. Enter the password one more time to add the certificate.
  7. You will be notified the certificate has been added. Click OK.

Internet Explorer has now accepted the SSU Information Technology Certificate Authority and both Internet Explorer and Outlook Express can access SSL protected services (IMAP over SSL, POP over SSL, HTTPS, etc.) which have IT issued certificates.

Firefox, Netscape, Mozilla, Konqueror on Windows and Macintosh

If you use Mozilla, Konqueror, Netscape, or some other Netscape related browser, the procedure will likely be similar to the following:

  1. Download the SSU IT CA Certificate.
  2. Click on the PEM encoded certificate.
  3. Proceed through the informational dialog boxes.
  4. When asked what purpose you will accept the Certificate Authority for, choose:
    "Accept this Certificate Authority for Certifying network sites"
  5. When prompted for a name, enter "SSU IT CA".
  6. Click "Finish".

Netscape has now accepted the SSU Information Technology Certificate Authority and can seamlessly access SSL protected services (IMAP over SSL, POP over SSL, HTTPS, etc.) which have IT issued certificates.

Eudora 5.x on Windows

If you are using Eudora 5.x on Windows:

  1. Download the SSU IT CA Certificate to your Desktop. Make sure the file is named ca2037.cer. (To download, right-click on the certificate and select either "Save target as..." or "Save Link As...". You will then be asked to choose a location to save the certificate to on your computer.)
  2. Follow the instructions for configuring Eudora.

Explanation

As part of an ongoing commitment to security and reliability in our services, Information Technology is deploying its own PKI Certificate Authority. You will need to install this certificate if you use any of the SSL services provided on campus. These include:

*If you do not have our Root Certificate installed you may experience warnings when using SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) enabled services on campus. In order to use these services in the easiest and most secure fashion, we recommend that you install our root certificate.