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And you only have two minutes to check the box scores on your favorite sports Web site? With Internet Explorer, you don't have to type your user name and password every time you want to access a subscription Web service. Instead, Internet Explorer functions as your virtual wallet, flashing your personal certificate to Web servers that want to verify your identity. It works the other way, too. You can also store site certificates of Web servers in Internet Explorer. This means you can verify the identity of any Web merchant or other Web server before you purchase goods or communicate with them.

You're not getting the most out of this page unless you're running Internet Explorer 3.0.



Obtaining and Using Personal Certificates

Personal certificates verify your identity on the Web. Through a special offer from VeriSign, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 users can obtain a free Class 1 Digital ID(SM) for their own personal use. See the Personal Certificates section under Internet Extras on this CD for more information.


Viewing Site Certificates

Site certificates verify that you're really connecting to the Web sites that you believe you're connecting to.

Viewing information almost never presents a security risk, but sending information, such as your credit-card number, often does. Before you send such information, security certificates are sent from the secure Web sites to Internet Explorer. The certificate provides certain information about security for that site. Certificates are issued to a particular organization for a specific period of time. Internet Explorer verifies the Internet address stored in the certificate and that the current date precedes the expiration date.


To see the site certificates stored in Internet Explorer, click the View menu, and then click Options. Click the Security tab, and then click the Sites button. Next time you connect to one of the listed Web services, you'll know you're connecting to the real thing.



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