CREN's Certificate Authority Service Last update 28 July 1999 We are in communications with our three pilot schools, MIT, Princeton, and Georgia Tech for testing the application process for the Certificate Authority service. The roll out beyond the pilot schools is now anticipated in September. ______________________________________________________________________ CREN has created a mailing list to receive information on the roll-out of the Certificate Authority Service. To join this list please send your name, the name of your institution, and put CA List in the subject heading, to cren@cren.net. What's Happening? CREN is deploying a top-level Certificate Authority Service that will provide authentication services to CREN's member institutions and other academic and research institutions. The new service will make online information access more secure for higher education and research institutions. The service will allow individuals at those institutions to share information in a cryptographically secure environment. Digital certificates are an essential part of the current infrastructure for conducting secure transactions over the World Wide Web. We are close to finalizing the documents that will govern the operations of the Certificate Authority, which include: 1. The CREN CA Service Application form. 2. The Operations and Procedures Document, detailing the steps in the application process and the certificate request technical process. 3. The Certification Practices Statement that will govern the operation of the CA service. This website will have all the information and procedures about applying for the service, the application downloads, and other important documents regarding the CA service. This web site will also hold the CREN Certificate Authority Repository for checking on the validity of CREN certificates. We will be forming pilot groups for this service within the next two-three weeks. One of the final areas of preparation is reaching consensus on a set of practices that will be recommended for the campuses wishing to become CREN CA subscribers. What is a certificate? A certificate allows one institution the security it needs to complete on-line research in a safe environment. The certificate verifies the authenticity of the sender of an electronic message and verifies the integrity of the message. That is, the message has not been altered. The certificate provides a trusted third party. Why? CREN's Certificate Authority Services will implement a high-level certificate authority that will verify the individual certificate authorities at CREN's member institutions. Users at different institutions will able to automatically verify the authenticity of certificates they receive from each other's site, simply by configuring their browser software for CREN's top-level certificate authority. When? The service is scheduled to be available by September 1999. How does my institution benefit? Provides trusted third party certification Interinstitutional programs made easy A tool for access management Certificate Authority Resources 22 July 1998 Press Release Certificate Authority Frequently Asked Questions CREN's TechTalk on Digital Certificates Digital Certificates: Applied Internet Security, by Jalal Feghhi, Jalil Feghhi, and Peter Williams. ADDISON WESLEY ____________________________________________________________ Stay tuned for further details regarding the release of the Certificate Authority! For more information on the Certificate Authority, contact us at cren@cren.net. To news

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