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PKI is a secure method used to identify you to systems on the Dartmouth
network, and to protect the data that you transmit between your computer and
those systems. PKI uses a pair of certificates – one public and one
private – to encrypt and protect IDs, documents, or messages. Dartmouth has
a public certificate that is available to the world that allows devices
and applications to verify any private certificates that are presented to it as
being from Dartmouth. Private certificates are unique to each individual and
point to the Dartmouth public certificate as the place to look for
verification. Use of your private certificate is generally protected with a
password.
The most important part of the PKI enrollment process is selecting a
password that is easy for you to remember, but hard for others to guess. A weak
password will not provide you good protection. If you forget your password, it
cannot be recovered; this may cause you to lose access to encrypted data. For
tips on selecting the right one, see
Selecting a Password.
To start using PKI, you will need to download the public (or root)
certificate and create your own private certificate. The private certificate
will be used by your Web browser and operating system for authentication
on the Dartmouth network. Your certificate can be stored on either a device
known as an eToken that connects to a USB port on your computer or
directly on your computer's hard drive.
Dartmouth recommends you use an eToken to store your PKI credentials.
Note: The best way to use certificates on public computers
is with an eToken. Do not install and leave a private
certificate on a public computer.
For more information related to this topic, see:
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