You can obtain a client certificate from a trustworthy, third-party organization, called a certificate authority. Before issuing a certificate, the authority may need to verify your identity. The identification information required by the authority can vary depending on the type of certificate you want to obtain.
To obtain a client certificate
- Find a certificate authority. Consider the following issues when choosing a certificate authority:
- Is the certificate authority a well known and trusted organization?
- What type of information will the authority require from you in order to verify your identity? Most certificate authorities will require you to provide detailed identification information, such as your name, address, organization name, and e-mail address.
- Does the authority have a Web site that you can use to request your client certificate?
For a list of certificate authorities offering certificate issuing services for Internet Information Server, see Obtaining a Server Certificate.
- Refer to specific ordering instructions provided by the certificate authority.
- Order your certificate. Some client certificates are valid only for the computer and Web browser used to generate the certificate request: make the online request from the computer where you intend to install the certificate.
- When you receive your client client certificate, use your Web browser's security features to install the certificate. (Some Web browsers may refer to client certificates as browser or personal certificates.)
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