Certificates Trusted by Your Browser

Question

HTTPS relies on a third-party entity for validation. Known as Certification Authority (CA), this third-
party entity verifies if a domain name really belongs to the organization claiming its ownership. If the

verification checks, the CA creates a digitally signed certificate containing information about the orga-
nization, including its public key.

The entire system is based on the fact that web browsers and operating systems ship with a list of CAs

they trust. Any certificates signed by any of the CAs in the list will be seen by the browser as legiti-
mate and be automatically trusted. To make the system more secure and more scalable, CAs often

spread the task of creating and signing certificates among many child CAs. The parent CA is known as
the Root CA. If a browser trusts a Root CA, it also trusts all of its children CAs.
Note: While the certificate stores are similar across browsers, this lab focuses on Chrome 56 and Firefox 51. The
menu and graphics may be different for other versions of the web browser.
Follow the steps to display the CA store in your browser:

Answer 1

Step 1. Display the root certificates in Chrome.
If you use Firefox, proceed to Step 2. If you use a browser other than Chrome or Firefox,
search the Internet for the steps to display your root certificates.
Note: The menu and graphics may be different for other versions of the Chrome browser.
a. Open the Chrome web browser on your PC.
b. Click the three dot icon on the far right of the address bar to display Chrome’s options.
c. Click Settings and then click Show advanced Settings.
d. Scroll down the page and click the Manage certificates... button, under the HTTPS/

SSL section.

e. In the Certificates window that opens, select the Trusted Root Certification
Authorities tab. A window opens that shows all certificates and certificate authorities
trusted by Chrome.
Step 2. Display the certificates in the CA Store in Firefox.
Note: The menu and graphics may be different for other versions of the Firefox browser.
a. Open Firefox and click the Menu icon. The Menu icon is located on the far right of the

Firefox window, next to the address bar.
b. Navigate to Options > Advanced.
c. Select the Certificates tab.
d. Click View Certificates. A window opens that shows the certificates and certification

authorities trusted by Firefox.