How to Install the cesb.uky.edu Certificate Authority

• How to Install the cesb.uky.edu Certificate Authority
  • Why Install?
  • Why do we have a Certificate Authority?
  • How to Install in Firefox
  • How to Install in Chrome
  • How to Install System-Wide (Linux)

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Why Install?

Installing the certificate will make all of those annoying warning messages about unknown web certificates go away.

Why do we have a Certificate Authority?

Every secure http site (https) uses an SSL certificate. Most certificates come ultimately from one of the big certificate authority companies like Verisign.
Websites with SSL certificates are then automatically verified by these certificate authority companies.
But these companies charge money for SSL certificates. For domain wildcarded certificates like we have, it is typically over $1000/year.
In order not to pay this, we have generated our own self-signed certificate authority.

How to Install in Firefox

1. Click on http://files.cesb.uky.edu/cacert/cesbca.crt
2. Select "Trust this CA to identify websites"
3. Click the "OK" button.

How to Install in Chrome

1. Click on http://files.cesb.uky.edu/cacert/cesbca.crt to download the cesb.uky.edu certificate authority.
   • Save the file.
2. Select "Settings" under the main menu.
3. Click "Show advanced settings...".
4. Click the "Manage certificates..." button under HTTPS/SSL.
5. Click the "Trusted Root Certificate Authorities" tab.
6. Click the "Import" button.
7. Select the cesbca.crt file.
8. Select "Trust this CA to identify websites".
9. Click the "Done" button.

How to Install System-Wide (Linux)

1. Click on http://files.cesb.uky.edu/cacert/cesbca.crt to download the cesb.uky.edu certificate authority.
   • Save the file.
2. Open a terminal
3. Copy the file the user location of certificates, on Ubuntu this is /usr/local/share/ca-certificates
4. Update the certificates as root: update-ca-certificates