How To Check For Valid Security Certificates

On occasion, a user will be asked to make sure they have valid site certificates. Most typically, they will be asked to make sure they have up-to-date SHA-2 certificates.

Here is a quick guide to show how the client can check this on the browser before contacting Ops-help.

First, go to the site in question. It must be an HTTPS URL. If you are a merchant accepting payments, you'll need to navigate to the page that processes your payment.

a. Click the lock icon on the top left, near the URL bar.

(on a Mac or different browser, the icon might look different)

b. A popup will appear (not pictured) and an option for “More Information” should be somewhere in that drop-down. Click that. You’ll see a window that looks like this

(again, might look different on Mac or other browser).

c. Click on the “View Certificate” button.

d. The really important information is highlighted.

These fields show who’s hosting the certificate, and when it expires. In this figure, the host’s certificate is valid (as of the writing of this article in 2016).

If your certificate does not appear to be valid, or you have any questions, submit a ticket to the Help Desk or email Ops-Help@mit.edu with your URL and a description of your issue and they will be happy to assist you.