Certificates are your key to secure web services at MIT — including Benefits, SAPweb, WebSIS, CoeusLite and ePaystubs. Personal certificates expire each year on July 31 and renewal is not automatic. To ensure continued access to MIT's secure web applications, plan to renew in the coming weeks.
Members of the MIT community can acquire new personal certificates now from the Certificate Server. To learn more about certificates and how they work, see the MIT Certificates Guide.
Recommended Web browsers
In preparation for this certificate renewal cycle, IS&T and colleagues who maintain and support websites across MIT have developed browser recommendations. These help simplify IT support and provide a consistent set of standards. The recommended and supported browsers for the upcoming fiscal year include the following:
Windows: Internet Explorer and Firefox
Windows 7, Vista Enterprise, and Windows XP SP3: IE8 (and IE9 on Windows 7 and Vista only) or Firefox 3.6
Note: IS&T recommends that 64-bit machines run the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer.
Macintosh: Safari and Firefox
Mac OS X 10.6.x: Safari 5 or later or Firefox 3.6 or later
Mac OS X 10.5.x: Safari 4 or later or Firefox 3.6 or later
Linux: Firefox
To ensure that you have the latest version of Firefox, consult your operating system's documentation for
performing a security update. (Athena workstations will normally receive these updates automatically).
Mobile devices: Safari and Internet Explorer
On iOS 4.0 or later (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch): Safari
On Windows Mobile 6: Internet Explorer
In addition to using a recommended web browser, be sure that your browser version is current with the operating system and that critical patches are up to date.
Automatic or manual options
When you visit the Certificate Server — on a Macintosh running Safari under OS X 10.5 or 10.6, or on a computer running Internet Explorer 7, 8 or 9 under Windows 7, Vista or XP — you will be offered a link to download CertAid, which manages the entire certificate setup procedure. Alternatively, you can obtain certificates manually.
Note: If, after installing your new certificate, you experience problems accessing certificate-protected sites, try deleting your expired certificates. Do not delete an expired certificate if you have used it to sign or receive encrypted email. For more information on what to do in that case, see the Export or Back Up Your MIT Personal Certificates page in the Hermes Knowledge Base.
Multiple machines
As a reminder, if you use certificates on multiple machines, you will need to get a new certificate for each browser on each machine. More complete information and documentation is available on the Certificates at MIT page.
If you have questions or concerns about certificate renewal, contact the IS&T Help Desk at helpdesk@mit.edu or 617.253.1101. You can also submit a request online.
