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Digital Certificates

Learn about digital certificates at UC San Diego, for purpose of securing server communications (TLS certificates) or code-signing.

Did you know?

SSL certificates are provided to UCSD faculty and staff at no charge. We can usually fulfill a certificate request within 24 hours.

AddTrust certificate expiration 30 May 2020

Read about the AddTrust certificate expiration and download the certificate.

Digital Certificate Service

UC San Diego IT Services maintains and provides a free service for obtaining digital certificates for 1) securing server communication and 2) code-signing, which are issued by a public Certificate Authority (CA) for use in a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).  Important information regarding wildcard certificates

UC San Diego Digital Certificate Policy

The use of campus-issued digital certificates is required by Policy and Procedures Manual section 135. UC San Diego does not allow sites under UC San Diego control or ending in ucsd.edu to use third party SSL certificates such as GoDaddy or RapidSSL.

IT Services uses InCommon for certificate enrollment.

About Digital Certificates

Digital certificates provide security for websites on the Internet, and verify the identity of your server so that visitors/users of your site will be assured they are using a legitimate site or service. Code signing certificates verify the authenticity of developed code or software.

Secure sites have a small lock icon preceding the URL:

Screenshot: secure browser lock

Getting Started

1. Generate your Certificate Signing Request (CSR)

The CSR is a file generated on the server where the digital certificate will be installed. Refer to your server OS documentation for specific instructions

2. Enroll your digital certificate

Request a digital certificate using your CSR using InCommon. See Instructions for InCommon Certificate Enrollment.

3. Install your digital certificate

The process of installing your digital certificate onto your server and into your service ( IIS, Apache, Tomcat , etc.) varies depending on your OS. Refer to your OSes documentation for specific instructions

For more information, contact pki-certs@ucsd.edu.