Under most conditions Web Servers utilize PKI Certificates obtained from commercial sources. These certificates are used to validate the identity of the server or web site and are used to generate the encryption key used in the Secure Socket Layer (SSL). This encryption protects the information being passed between the server and the client.
When the client's web browser first connects to the server during an SSL session it looks to validate the issuer of the certificate by comparing it to a Root Certificate Authorities (CA) Certificate which is normally stored in the Trusted Root Stores on the local computer. These Root CA's are usually provided as part of the operating system or a specific program. When the browser can not locate one of these Trusted Root CA's in its local store is issues a warning to the user that you have not chosen to trust the site.
As this system is on a DoD network it now utilizes a PKI certificate issued by the DoD for verification of its identity and for the encryption used during SSL sessions. DoD Root CA's are not distributed as described above. This is why you may be seeing a warning each time you connect to the site.
To eliminate these warning messages you will need to either install the corresponding Root CA Certificate into your system or manually establish a trust. This will depend on your web browser. A copy of the DoD Root CA Certificate Installation Program is provided below.
For Netscape users, the process can be simplified. When the warning message is presented, simply select the Trust Site until it Expires option and you will no longer receive the warning messages.
For Internet Explorer users, the process involves installing the Root CA Certificate into the local machines Trusted Root Store. Select the link below and either open or save to your local machine and then execute. The process is simple and only takes a few minutes to perform.
