SSL With a Self-signed Certificate

In a web application used within an intranet, we want sensitive information be still sent thru SSL. We generated a server certificate by 'keytool' and configured it for tomcat. The problem is, as the application is not a public web site, we will not obtain a formal certificate from any CA. Now whenever SSL is used the browser always prompts a warning message saying the server certificate is invalid (because the server certicate cannot be verified by some real CA).

Is there any simple method to get rid of this warning message in IE?

I've seen some VBScript that can load a self-signed certificate into the certificate registry, all the user has to do is visit the page. Good 'ol Microsoft. I can't find it but maybe you can search the net for the script (it embeds the certificate as a Base64 encoded string), I'll try to remeber to ask at work.

Dave

Steps:

1) Export you certificate as PKCS-7 format to a file.
2) Base64 the contents.
3) paste the Base64 contents into the 'credentials' below (you'll have many more lines than this), save the page and load it in IE
4) Click 'yes' and 'yes' when prompted.
5) Certificate should be loaded, verify by viewing the encrypted site.

Note that as mentioned in the HTML below, it is possible to do this using the 'add certificate' wizard, but this is painfl when you need to explain it to multiple users.

<html>
<head>
<title>Install Root Certificate using CEnroll Active-X component and PKCS-7</title>
</head>
<body LANGUAGE="VBScript" ON_LOAD="InstallCert">
 
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT">
 
Sub InstallCert
 
credentials = "" & _
"" & _
"" & _
""
 
On Error Resume Next
  Dim Enroll
 
  Set Enroll = CreateObject("CEnroll.CEnroll.2")
  if ( (Err.Number = 438) OR (Err.Number = 429) ) Then
    Err.Clear
    Set Enroll = CreateObject("CEnroll.CEnroll.1")
  End If
  if Err.Number <> 0 then
    document.write("<h2 align=center>Can't instantiate the CEnroll control: " & Hex(err) )
  Else
    Call Enroll.InstallPKCS7(credentials)
    If err.Number <> 0 then
      document.write("<h2 align=center>Problems were detected with the root certificate download" & "  error: " & Hex(err) )
    Else
      document.write("<h3 align=center>The root certificate was successfully installed</h3>")
    End if
  End If
 
   End sub
</SCRIPT>
 
<br clear=all>
<p>

 
</BODY>
</HTML>

Note that ON_LOAD needs to have the underscore removed, UBB wouldn't let me post the word without the underscore included :roll: