Security Certificate Issues
With some of the library supplied databases you will get security warnings, either when you first connect (e.g. Lexis) or at some stage during your use (e.g. logging in on JSTOR).
For the Library databases you can ignore these - for reasons why they happen, and why they are safe to ignore, see below.
What to do.
Internet Explorer 7
If you are using Internet Explorer 7 the warning message will look like this:
- Click on the middle choice, Continue to this website (not recommended). There may be a pause but the website should load.
Firefox 2
has a similar set of options to Internet Explorer 7.
Firefox 3
If you are using Firefox 3, there are several steps.
The first error message: Secure Connection Failed
- As a safety check, make sure that the third line shown above states the certificate is only valid for ezproxy.canterbury.ac.nz
- Provided it does, then click on the bottom link "Or you can add an exception"
The second error message: also Secure Connection Failed:
- Click on the Add Exception button.
Next step: Add Security Exception
- Click on the button Get Certificate
Final Step: Add Security Exception
- Ensure the bottom left checkbox is ticked (so you will not have to do this again for this database) and click on the button Confirm Security Exception. Again, after a pause, the page should load.
You may need to repeat these steps 2 or 3 times before the page loads.
What's it all about?
Security certificates are there to protect private data and are commonly found on sites that require a user to login. A secure site will encrypt your details and offer privacy. Browsers expect a site to be governed by only one security certificate and multiple certificates can be a security issue.
When you connect to one of our databases you are connecting through a server called Ezproxy which is primarily there to give you remote access. This server has a security certificate to protect you when you log in from home. On campus you do not need to login, but you still connect through this server.
When you connect to a database, your connection 'carries with it' the Ezproxy certificate. Most of the time that is fine, but for the three or four databases that have a certificate of their own, there is a conflict between the database certificate and the Ezproxy certificate. However, there is no security risk as both are valid and that is why continuing to the site is OK.
There are special security certificates that can avoid this conflict, and we will be investigating this later in 2009.
March 2009