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Digital Certificates

Obtaining a certificate using Firefox on Mac OS X

Do you want to know more about certificates and why you may want to use them? Read Making Sense of Digital Certificates for a short overview.

Important Notes. Please read before you begin:

If you have a desktop support person, we strongly recommend that you schedule time for them to help you with this process. The Help Desk can also assist you.

Complete this process on the computer where you plan to use encryption, if at all possible. The process immediately stores two certificate files on your computer, one for signing and one for encryption. Do not perform this process on a computer where you do not have a designated user name.

Perform this procedure after you have been authorized to download a certificate. You will receive an e-mail message with these instructions if you are authorized.

  1. Print these instructions. This process requires multiple steps in different programs and windows.
  2. Go to https://certificates.austin.utexas.edu/. (Opens in a new window.)
  3. Log into the Digital Certificates Enrollment page with your UT EID and password.
  4. Click Download Certificate in the left-hand menu.
  5. Leave the encryption strength at the default (High Grade).
  6. Click Submit. If Firefox prompts you to enter a Software Security Device password (aka, a Master Password), do so. If you do not have a Software Security Device password, please create one. Do not do anything else in the browser while the certificate is generated. Click OK.
  7. You will receive a confirmation message that the certificate has been installed. Click OK.

    8. At this point, Firefox has automatically added the signing certificate to the Firefox Software Security Device. Continue below to add the encryption certificate to the Keychain and move the signing certificate from Firefox to the Keychain.

  8. Copy or print the password provided on the Web page. You will need this to import your certificate into other certificate stores.
  9. Click Download P12 File and select Save to Disk.
  10. Save the file in the downloads area. By default this is your desktop. Your encryption certificate is now saved to your computer. From here you must now import it to the Mac Keychain. Double-click the .P12 file that you just downloaded.
  11. In the Keychain Access window, the application asks “Do you want to add the certificate from the file?”
  12. Select the keychain where you want to store the certificates (login is the default and is OK) and click OK.
  13. Enter the backup password from step 8 when you are prompted.
  14. Return to Firefox. You must now export your signing certificate from the Firefox Certificate Manager. From the Firefox menu, select Preferences.
  15. Click the Advanced icon and select the Encryption tab.
  16. Click the View Certificates button and select the Your Certificates tab.
  17. Look in the Purpose column to identify your signing certificate. Select the Signing Certificate from the list and click the Backup button.
  18. Enter a file name and location to export the certificate and private key to and click Save. Select the location you chose in step 10 (your downloads area).
  19. You will likely be prompted for your master password for the software security device (the password that you entered or created in step 6).
  20. From the "Choose a certificate backup password" dialog box, enter a strong password to create/export the certificate. Confirm the password and click OK. You should receive a successful backup password message.
  21. From here you must now import your signing certificate to the Mac Keychain. Double-click the .P12 file that you just exported from Firefox.
  22. In the Keychain Access Window, the application asks “Do you want to add the certificate from the file?”
  23. Select the keychain where you want to store the certificates (login is the default and is OK) and click OK.
  24. Enter the backup password for the certificate file.
  25. Exit the Keychain Access utility.
  26. After you have completed this procedure, you can go to the main Help page for instructions on setting up your e-mail to use certificates and backing up your certificates.

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