Trusting SelectNet's SSL Certificates

Why is it OK to trust and use SelectNet's self-signed SSL certificates?
Why is my web browser warning me about a SelectNet web site's security?

SelectNet Internet Services (and MostlyHosting.com) uses self-signed SSL certificates to protect web site management actions* via your web site's admin control panel. These self-signed SSL certificates are perfectly suited for encrypting and protecting these transactions.

Self-signed SSL certificates benefit our customers and our company for the following reason. It allows us the flexibility to renew these SSL certificate without waiting for a third party, so our site administration areas remain secure. Since we generate and sign them, we ensure they are cryptographically strong. Our self-signed SSL certificates are generally as strong or stronger than publicly signed SSL certificates. They help reduce our expenses and maintain our prices to our customers. Finally, because they are only used by site administrators, the general public never sees them or the associated browser warnings.

By default your web browser does not trust our self-signed SSL certificates, which is the reason for your web browser's security warning. In this document we describe how to take a few simple steps to trust our self-signed SSL certificates. Once completed, your web browser will no longer give warnings or errors about our server's SSL certificate.

*NOTE: These self-signed SSL certificates are never used when sensitive, personal, or private information is being provided. This included credit card and related billing information. For these tasks, our SSL certificates are provided by GeoTrust, a well known, trusted SSL certificate provider.

To trust our self-signed SSL certificates, your web browser needs to import our Certificate Authority or CA certificate. We have a link on the home page of our SelectNet web site, but for easy reference it is linked in the instructions below. Please read all the instructions for your web browser before clicking on that link!

You may click your web browser's name to jump to those instructions. Once completed, your web browser will no longer give security warnings or errors and will trust our web management sites.

• Mozilla Firefox (all systems)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer (on a Windows PC)
• Google Chrome (on a Windows PC)
• Google Chrome (on an Apple Mac)
• Apple Safari (on a Windows PC)
• Apple Safari (on an Apple Mac)

Mozilla Firefox (all systems):

1. Please read all the steps in this section and then click this link:
   SelectNet CA Certificate
2. That will bring up the Downloading Certificate window. In this window check the Trust this CA to identify websites option.
3. Click the OK button to complete the trust process.
4. Finally, verify that you no longer receive the warning/error when visiting any of our secure management web sites

Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) (on a Windows PC):

1. Please read all the steps in this section and then click this link:
   SelectNet CA Certificate
2. That will bring up a pop-up at the bottom of this page asking:
   Do you want to open or save selectnet-ca.cer (2.33 KB) from select.net?  ...
   Please click the Open button to open that file (Note: for brevity, buttons are not shown in these window illustrations).
3. A new Certificate window now opens. There click the Install Certificate... button near the bottom of the window.
4. The Certificate Import Wizard window now opens. Click the Next > button to proceed.
5. On the Certificate Store page, click the option Place all certificates in the following store and then click the Browse... button that is now active.
6. The Select Certificate Store window now opens. Click the Trusted Root Certification Authorities folder and click the OK button.
7. Back on the Certificate Store page, click the Next > button to continue.
8. Now on the Completing the Certificate Import Wizard page, it should confirm these settings:
   ...
    
   You have specified the following settings:

   Certificate Store Selected by User	Trusted Root Certification Authorities
   Content	Certificate

   
   ...
    
   Please click the Finish button to move to the next step.
9. A final Security Warning window will pop up. Click the Yes button since you do want to install this certificate.
10. Back on the Certificate Import Wizard window, click OK button to acknowledge that The import was successful.
11. Now click the OK button on the Certificate window.
12. Finally, verify that you no longer receive the warning/error when visiting any of our secure management web sites

Google Chrome (on a Windows PC):

1. Under Windows, Chrome uses the SSL certificate settings of Windows itself. The easiest way to proceed is to switch to Internet Explorer and follow the instructions above.
2. Once you complete those instructions, go back into Chrome and verify that you no longer receive the warning/error when visiting any of our secure management web sites

Google Chrome (on an Apple Mac):

• Instructions are coming shortly.

Apple Safari (on a Windows PC):

1. Under Windows, Safari uses the SSL certificate settings of Windows itself. The easiest way to proceed is to switch to Internet Explorer and follow the instructions above.
2. Once you complete those instructions, go back into Safari and verify that you no longer receive the warning/error when visiting any of our secure management web sites

Apple Safari (on an Apple Mac):

• Instructions are coming shortly.