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Tech Guides :: HSU Security Certificate (SSL Certificate)

Secure Socket Layer Definition

Used by most commerce servers on the World Wide Web, this high-level security protocol protects the confidentiality and security of data transmitted across the internet. SSL Certificates are used to verify that the server you are communicating with is who it says it is.

Why Do I Need SSL?

Instructions on downloading and installing HSU's SSL Certificate.

Browser/Email Client
Detailed Instructions
Text Only Instructions
Internet Explorer/Outlook on Windows
  1. Click this link to Download the SSL certificate. At the security alert, click OK.
  2. At the File Download - Security Warning dialog, click Open.
  3. Click Install Certificate which activates the Certificate Import Wizard. From the Wizard, click Next.
  4. With Automatically select the certificate store based on the type of certificate selected,click Next.
  5. Click Finish.
  6. A final security warning is displayed to verify that you want to install the certificate. Click Yes.
  7. Click OK.
  8. Back at the Certificate Information dialog, click OK again and you're done!
Internet Explorer/Outlook on Macintosh
  1. Click this link to Download the security certificate. Click View Certificate Authority.
  2. Click to select both check boxes, and then click Accept.
  3. Type your password and click OK. Repeat.
  4. And one more time, type your new certificate password. Click OK.
  5. A message appears indicating that the Certificate Authority has been added. Click OK to complete the process.
Every time you use Internet Explorer to access a secure website, you will be asked for your certificate password, unless you add the HSU Certificate Authority to your Macintosh Keychain. Follow the setup instructions for Safari on Macintosh to add the certificate to the keychain.
Netscape, Mozilla/Firefox on Windows & Macintosh
  1. Click this link to Download the security certificate.
  2. Click to select the first two options: Trust this CA to identify websites and Trust this CA to identify email users.
  3. Click OK and you're done! If a warning appears indicating that you are requesting an encrypted page, click OK.

Safari on Macintosh
  1. Click this link to Download the security certificate. The certificate will be displayed in your browser. Steps 2 through 4 walk you through saving the certificate to your Desktop.
  2. Hold the CTRL key down and click to save the file. Click to select Save Page As.
  3. Save the file to the Desktop as HSU-CA.cer. Do not append an extension to the file.
  4. Double-click the HSU-CA.cer icon to open the downloaded file on your Desktop.
  5. Click to select X509Anchors, and then click OK.
  6. Type your password and click OK. The certificate has now been installed. However, you must restart your computer for the certificate to take affect.

Why Do I Need SSL?

SSL transport protects the header (From, To, Subject fields) and body of an email message from unauthorized detection to and from the mail server. Preventing unauthorized detection is critical for email privacy as it keeps local authorities like your company, your ISP, or local government agencies from monitoring or modifying your email without your knowledge. Even if you use a program to encrypt your email, header information is often left in the clear providing information about who you're communicating with and the subject of your messages.

SSL For Email Clients

Why Do I Need Secure Email? - Increasingly, your personal email communications are not as private as you might believe. Employers, high-tech criminals, spammers, ISPs, governments, surveillance agencies and identity thieves are just a few of the people who might routinely be intercepting and reading your email without your consent or knowledge. You lock your house not only to protect the valuables in it, but also because you value privacy itself. You need to protect your personal communications for the same reason.

View instructions on how to set up your email client to use SSL.

SSL For Web Browsers

Why Do I Need Secure Web Browsing? - SSL server authentication provides user confirmation of a Web server's identity. An SSL-enabled Web browser can automatically check that a server's certificate and public ID are valid and have been issued by a trusted certificate authority (CA). SSL server authentication is vital for secure e-commerce transactions. An encrypted SSL connection requires all information sent between a client and a server to be encrypted by the sending software and decrypted by the receiving software, protecting against interception over the Internet. In addition, an encrypted SSL connection includes a mechanism that can determine whether the data has been altered in transit.

Back to certificate download and install instructions.

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