Check for the MIT CA

On this page:

Overview

The MIT CA (Certification Authority) authenticates secure web servers to your computer. MIT CA certificates obtained after April, 2006, are valid until August, 2026.

You must get the MIT CA before you can get a personal certificate.

MIT CA vs. Personal Certificates The MIT CA is not the same as your Personal Certificate. You must renew your Personal Certificate everry year, in August. If you're having difficulty accessing MIT sites, make sure you have both the MIT CA and your Personal Certificate installed. See How do I test my MIT personal certificate?

• Learn more about the MIT CA.
• Test whether you have the MIT CA installed on your system.
  Note: If the MIT CA is present and you click the link above, a small window will tell you that the certificate already exists.

Check for the MIT CA

To check manually whether you have the MIT CA installed:

Firefox

1. On Athena, Linux, and Macintosh, open Preferences > Advanced > View Certificates.
   On Windows, open Tools > Options > Advanced > Encryption > View Certificates.
2. In the Certificate Manager window, click the Authorities tab.
3. Scroll to find Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT Certification Authority (listed alphabetically, or at the end of the list).

Internet Explorer on Windows

1. Open Tools > Internet Options > Content.
2. Click the Certificates button.
3. In the Certificates window, click the Trusted Root Certificate Authority tab.
4. Scroll to find the MIT CA (alphabetically or at end of list).

Safari and Chrome on Macintosh

1. Open Keychain Access: [Macintosh HD] > Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access.
2. If necessary, click the Show Keychains button in the bottom left corner of the Keychain Access window and ensure that Certificates is highlighted on the bottom-left column for "Category".
3. In the Keychains list at the top left, select:
   Mac 10.7.x: login
   Mac 10.5.x or 10.6.x: System (not System roots)
   Mac 10.4.x.: X509Anchors
4. Scroll down to MIT Certification Authority.
   Result: You need to have one and only one MIT Certification Authority. If you click on it to highlight it, you can see its expiration date, which should be August 2026.

MIT CA Not Found?

If you did not find an MIT-identified Certificate Authority (MIT CA), you need to get the MIT CA.

Getting Help

Athena users: Athena Consulting
Macintosh, Windows, or Linux users: IS&T Help Desk

Related Links

Certificates at MIT