Trusting an SSL Certificate on a Client Machine

For public websites, only SSL certificates issued by trusted authorities are recognized as valid. Self-signed certificates used only within a company or domain might generate security warnings but these can be ignored. The same is true of self-signed certificates installed on a server for the Secret Server website. However, these security warnings can also interfere with the use of the Secret Server Launcher and Web Password Filler. To resolve these issues, install the certificate on the client machine, either through your browser or Certificates snap-in.

To enable trust in the Secret Server self signed certificates, following these steps:

Step 1: Compare Host Names

Make sure that the host to which the certificate is issued is the same as the host name for your Secret Server website:

1. Open your browser and navigate to Secret Server.

2. Click Continue to this website if you are prompted.

3. Click the Certificate Error icon next to the navigation bar.

4. Click the View certificate button. The value next to Issued to should match the host name for your website. For example, if your website is https://www.mydomain.local/SecretServer, it should say Issued to:www.mydomain.local. If these fields do not match, the client will not be able to fully trust the certificate.

Step 2: Transfer a copy from your server to the client computer

Obtain a copy of the certificate file and transfer it to the client computer:

1. On the server where Secret Server is installed, find Run from the start menu or screen and type in mmc, then click the Enter button.
2. From the File menu, select Add/Remove Snap-in.
3. Select the Certificates snap-in, then click the right arrow button to add it.
4. In the window that appears, select Computer Account.
5. Select Local Computer.
6. Click Finish. You should now see the Certificates (Local Computer) node.
7. Expand the Personal folder and then the Certificates folder under it.
8. Right-click the certificate that Secret Server uses.
9. Click All tasks.
10. Select Export.
11. Keep clicking the Next button to accept defaults in the wizard.
12. Type in a filename.
13. Click the Finish button. The certificate has now been exported.

Step 3: Install the certificate on the client computer

1. On the client computer, find Run from the start menu or screen and type in mmc, then hit the Enter button.
2. From the File menu, select Add/Remove Snap-in.
3. Select the Certificates snap-in, then click the right arrow button to add it.
4. In the window that appears, select My user account.
5. Click the Finish button.
6. Expand the Trusted Root Certification Authorities folder.
7. Right-click the Certificates folder and select All Tasks > Import.
8. Click Next and Yes to accept default settings for all steps of the wizard.
9. When prompted for the certificate file, select the file you saved in the previous Step 2.