Netscape Communicator Tips #8



*1. PERSONALLY CERTIFIED

If you want to take more advantage of Communicator's online 
security, get a personal digital certificate. Once you have 
one, you can sign e-mail messages digitally (proving your 
identity), receive encrypted messages, and verify your 
identity for private or secure Web sites.


*2. SECURE THE SSL

Communicator uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol for 
Internet security. This is built in and is not something you 
really need to think about. However, you probably noticed that 
the Communicator Security Navigator page includes an option to 
select an SSL version (version 2 or 3). Both of these options 
are checked by default, and you should leave them that way.


*3. CERTIFICATE ACCEPTANCE

When you access a secure Internet site, you accept its security
certificate. The site saves this certificate on your system, 
and Communicator allows you to view it even if you are not 
connected to that site. You can also tell Communicator to take 
certain actions when it finds another document that comes from 
the holder of one of the certificates stored on your system. 
For example, you can opt to reject documents from a certificate 
holder if you don't like that holder. To see the certificates 
you have accepted, click the Security icon (it looks like a 
padlock and appears in the bottom left corner of the screen), 
then click Web Sites from the Certificates category. When you 
select a particular certificate, you can delete it, verify it 
(determine if it's still valid or expired), or edit it (set the 
actions Communicator takes when the certificate holder sends 
you a document). Just click the appropriate button to set 
these actions.


*4. FILED AWAY

A personal digital certificate is pretty important, and you 
should copy it to a file for safekeeping. This is very easy to 
do. Open the Your Certificates page (click the Security icon, 
then click Yours from the Certificates list). Now select the 
certificate. Click Export, which opens the File Name To Export 
dialog box. Enter a file name.

- From the Save In field, select the directory in which you want
  to save the file. Click Save, and you're all set. For
  additional backups, you might want to save the file to a
  floppy disk.


*5. SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED

When you have a personal digital certificate, you can sign your 
outgoing e-mail messages. A signature assures the recipient 
that the message really came from your computer. To sign a 
message, create a new message in the Communicator Message 
Center, then click the Message Sending Options tab. Select the 
Signed option and continue with the message as usual. When you 
sign a message, a Signature Tag icon appears next to the 
Security icon (this looks like a padlock and appears in the 
bottom left corner of the screen).


*6. THE ENCRYPT KEEPER

Communicator security allows you to encrypt e-mail messages for 
even better security. Encrypted messages are scrambled so no 
one can read them from the time they leave your computer until 
they reach the recipient's computer. The recipient must have a 
digital security certificate to decrypt the message. 
Communicator uses a key in the recipient's certificate to 
encrypt the message on your end. To encrypt a message, open a 
new message, click the Sending Options tab, then click the 
Encrypted option. The Security icon locks and its background 
turns yellowish.


*7. ENCRYPTOGRAPHIC

In most cases, in order to send an encrypted e-mail message you 
must already have received a signed message from the individual 
or site to which you want to send the message. You do not need 
to own a personal digital certificate to send an encrypted 
message, but no one will be able to send you an encrypted 
message if you don't have one. Bottom line: If you really want 
to take advantage of encryption, get a personal 
digital certificate.


*8. GET THE OK

Communicator can tell you whether you can encrypt a message. To 
find out, open the Message Center and create a new message. 
Make sure you address the message, then select Security from 
the Message Center menu (or click the Security icon at the 
bottom of the screen). The Security Info page for this message 
comes up and tells you whether you can encrypt and/or sign the 
message. Click OK to close the Security Info page and return to 
the composition window.


*9. OTHER CERTIFICATES

In most cases, to send a person an encrypted message you must 
already have received a signed message from them. However, the 
recipient may have added the digital certificate to a large 
public directory on the Internet, or to an LDAP directory on 
your intranet. If this is the case, you can obtain the 
certificate and send encrypted messages. To find out the 
certificate story, open the Communicator Message Center and 
click the Security icon (or select Security from the menu) to 
open the Security Info page. Select People from the 
Certificates list, which opens the Other People's Certificates 
dialog box. Click Search Directory. In the Search Directory 
dialog box, select the directory to search (click the drop-down 
list to see the available directories), then enter the e-mail 
address and click Search. When the search is complete, you'll 
see the Search Results dialog box, listing any matches. Click 
OK to save any certificates it found.


*10. CERTIFICATE CHECK

You'll know right away if you have received a signed or 
encrypted message. The Security icon is locked if the message 
is encrypted, and there's a signed tag next to it if the 
message has a signature. The message itself also contains a 
special Encrypted And Signed (or it may be one or the other) 
icon within the message beside the header. To check out the 
encryption or the signature, click the Security icon. The 
Security Info page for the message appears, telling you the 
type of encryption used and the validity of the digital 
signature. To see more about the certificate, click View.
