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Mickey Segal wrote:
> I tried to renew a Thawte code signing certificate (Authenticode type),
> and after I completed the order and they issued a new certificate, they
> revealed that the certificate fails if obtained with a current operating
> system or browser.
>
> They then told me that issuing certificates doesn't work on Vista at
> all, and on Windows XP only works using Internet Explorer 6. They also
> explained that the renewal process cancelled my existing certificate.
>
> The renewal instructions
> (https://www.thawte.com/ssl-digital-c...ew_sum_eng.pdf)
> did not mention the OS/browser problem at all.
>
> All they are offering now is re-issue a certificate if I can find a
> Windows XP computer (or Windows 9 with Internet Explorer 6 or earlier.
>
> This sounds nuts for a company that sells "Trust". Did I just get a
> clueless tech support person, or is Thawte falling apart?
>
>
Authenticode signs MS content. You're asking the question in a Java
group - which one is incorrect?

BTW, if Java was correct / authenticode was incorrect, we used to use
Thawte but switched to GlobalSign this year because of lower cost.

--
Dave Miller
Java Web Hosting
http://www.cheap-jsp-hosting.com/

Mickey Segal wrote:
> I found a computer with IE6 as needed for Thawte's renewal process, but
> as stated at
> https://search.thawte.com/support/ss...ntent&id=so750
> if I request the needed re-issue they will revoke our previous
> certificate so all current users will be blocked from using our software
> until the entire process goes through, which has taken days in the past.
>
>
They're all a little nuts. GlobalSign will only issue to "registered
businesses" (we know that includes corporations, we're still trying to
find out what else). As your experience suggests, Thawte has some
bizarre procedures. Verisign seems to have it together with customer
service and issuance but they charge two and three times what the
competition charges.

--
Dave Miller
Java Web Hosting
http://www.cheap-jsp-hosting.com/

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:47:31 GMT, Dave Miller
<> wrote, quoted or indirectly quoted
someone who said :

>They're all a little nuts. GlobalSign will only issue to "registered
>businesses" (we know that includes corporations, we're still trying to
>find out what else). As your experience suggests, Thawte has some
>bizarre procedures. Verisign seems to have it together with customer
>service and issuance but they charge two and three times what the
>competition charges.

When you buy a certificate what you are buying is their research to
prove you are you. It may be easier to prove a business is a business
than a private person is a private person.
--

Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products
The Java Glossary
http://mindprod.com

Mickey Segal wrote:
> I may be reading too much into this, but it looks like VeriSign bought
> Thawte in order to kill it.

It sure seems that's the case - either that or to remove the price
pressure from their own products. Two years ago, Thawte was at $159. Now
they're at $299 for a new issue and $259 for a renewal.

--
Dave Miller
Java Web Hosting
http://www.cheap-jsp-hosting.com/

Roedy Green wrote:
> When you buy a certificate what you are buying is their research to
> prove you are you. It may be easier to prove a business is a business
> than a private person is a private person.

In terms of CYA, maybe. In terms of actually vetting the entity not so much.

A company exists because somebody paid a filing fee. People can and do
create multiple identities at will. They can kill entities as easily -
minus the fee. What's Proper Programming today can easily be Dapper Data
tomorrow.

To change your personal identity is not so easy. Unless you are into
committing a felony, you will always have or be connected to your
personal identity.

They could vet an individual by having them take a form and their ID to
a notary. They vet a company by checking the information provided
against some online database(s). The difference is that the individual
will always be the same and the company can, legally and easily,
reinvent itself tomorrow.

IMO, in terms of protecting end users, GlobalSign has it exactly backwards.

--
Dave Miller
Java Web Hosting
http://www.cheap-jsp-hosting.com/