How to View SSL Certificate Details in Each Browser and What You Can Learn
- Browser Certificate Download
- Browser For Mac Os
- Mac Download Certificate From Browser Internet Explorer
- Mac Download Certificate From Browser Firefox
- Free Browsers For Mac
- Mac Web Browser
It seems more and more of the general population is starting to take notice of SSL. They expect websites to use it (and are quick to point out when they’re not). I’m excited that people are recognizing when a site uses SSL and I’m eager to take that knowledge even further. Beyond just triggering the padlock and HTTPS in browsers, there’s quite a bit more going on within the details of an SSL Certificate.
There’s a lot of information in a certificate, including basic things like:
- Validity Period.
- Issuing Certificate Authority (CA).
- Subject (the domain it was issued to and depending on the type of certificate, identifying information about the company operating the site).
Browser Certificate Download
Specify the name of the file you want to save the SSL certificate to, keep the “X.509 Certificate (PEM)” format and click the Save button; Cool Tip: Check the expiration date of the SSL Certificate from the Linux command line! The fastest way! Read more → Internet Explorer. Download and save the SSL certificate of a website using Internet. While some information from the certificate is displayed if you click the padlock, including the Root CA the certificate chains up to and some of the subject information, there is unfortunately no way to view the full certificate path or other details such as validity period. Jan 21, 2020. Jan 27, 2017.
Certificate contents also cover technical aspects, such as:
- Key Usage.
- CRL Information.
- Signing and Hashing Algorithms Underlying the Encryption.
This information can be found from right within your browser! Clearly, the importance of these things is going to vary person to person and I don’t expect everyone to start diving into the certificate of every site they visit, but I do want to raise awareness that this type of information exists and how to find it. So let’s get to it.
Since browsers are updated fairly regularly and SSL presentation in particular is currently undergoing quite a lot of change, I will be updating the sections below as new versions are released. I've noted the versions I used for testing, but for the most part, the same steps should apply for older versions as well.
Quick links:
Chrome - Desktop (v.63)
I'm very excited that Chrome has brought back the ability to access certificate details right from the main browser interface. This functionality disappeared for a little while (~v55 - v60) and you had to go through a few mouse clicks to find this info, but now it's very easy. Hooray!
1. Click the padlock in the URL bar. This will trigger a dropdown; click the 'Valid' link in the Certificate section.
EV Certificate in Chrome 68
2. This will bring up the Certificate window where you can click through to your heart’s content. Certificate contents (e.g. subject, validity period, algorithms) are on the “Details” tab.
Certificate details in Chrome
Chrome - Mobile
Android (v.67)
Similar to the desktop version, the Android Chrome app makes it pretty easy to dive into certificate details.
1. Click the padlock icon next to the URL. Then click the 'Details' link.
SSL Certificate in Android Chrome App v.67
2. From here you can see some more information about the certificate and encrypted connection, including the issuing CA and some of the cipher, protocol, and algorithm information. To view details more details about the certificate itself, including the validity period and subject details, click 'Certificate Information'.
SSL Connection Details in Android Chrome App v.67
3. You can view details for the other certificates in the path by clicking on the dropdown menu highlighted below.
Full Certificate Details in Android Chrome App v.67
iOS (v.68)
Unfortunately, as of this writing at least, it doesn't look like you are able to view much of anything about certificates in the iOS version of Chrome. If you click the padlock icon, you can see the name of the CA that issued the certificate, but that's it. We hope this functionality is added to future versions of the app.
SSL Certificate in iOS Chrome App v.68
Firefox (v.61)
The latest version of Firefox provides a little more information about the certificate directly in the main browser interface, with the ability to dive into further details with just a few clicks.
1. Clicking the padlock in the address bar brings up a preliminary dropdown that indicates a secure connection when properly configured SSL is in place. Click the arrow to the right of the dropdown to view more information about the certificate.
EV Certificate in Firefox 61
2. In the case of Extended Validation (EV) Certificates, you can see some identifying information about the organization operating the site. For non-EV Certificates (Domain Validated and Organization Validated), you will only see which Certificate Authority (CA) issued the certificate - the “Verified by:” section at the bottom of the pop-up. Click the 'More Information' link to view more details.
EV Certificate in Firefox
Non-EV (OV) Certificate in Firefox
3. This brings you to the security details of the page, where you’ll find more information about the website identity (for EV Certificates, the company name will be listed as the owner) and the protocols, ciphers and keys underlying the encryption.
Page info of a site using EV in Firefox
4. If you want even more details about the certificate (and who doesn’t?), just click “View Certificate.” On the “Details” tab, you’ll find the certificate hierarchy and can dig through the certificate fields. Have fun!
Certificate details in Firefox
Internet Explorer (v.11)
Like Firefox, IE provides some certificate information from the main interface.
1. Clicking the padlock brings up the issuing CA (“GlobalSign has identified this site as:”) and a note that the connection to the server is encrypted. There is also some identifying information but again this varies between EV vs. non-EV (DV or OV) Certificates. EV Certificates contain the company name and location, while DV and OV only show the domain.
EV Certificate in IE 11
Non-EV (OV) Certificate in IE 11
2. Clicking the “View Certificates” link at the bottom of the pop up takes you right to the certificate details window. Similar to Chrome, certificate contents (e.g. subject, validity period, algorithms) are on the “Details” tab.
Certificate details window in IE
Edge (v.16)
Bad news for Edge users - there is currently no way to view certificate details using the browser. While some information from the certificate is displayed if you click the padlock, including the Root CA the certificate chains up to and some of the subject information, there is unfortunately no way to view the full certificate path or other details such as validity period, signing algorithms, and Subject Alternative Names (SANs). We hope Microsoft adds this functionality into future versions, but until then, here's how to view the information they do include.
1. Click the padlock to view some information from the certificate.
EV Certificate in Edge
DV Certificate in Edge
As you can see in the screenshots above, the type and amount of subject info shown depends on the type of certificate the site is using - EV and OV Certificates display the verified company information included in the certificate's subject fields, but since DV Certificates only vouch for domain ownership, only the domain name is displayed.
Safari (v.11) - MacOSX
Browser For Mac Os
Note: As of this writing, there is no way to view certificate details in mobile (iOS) Safari.
1. Click on the padlock (you must click the padlock icon specifically; clicking elsewhere will just make the URL appear) to view more details about your connection to the website. If the site is using an EV Certificate, the name of the issuing CA, the company's name, and the company's address will also be shown. Click the 'Show Certificate' button to view more information.
EV Certificate in Safari
Non-EV (OV) Certificate in Safari
2. You can now see the certificate path, expiration date, and validity. To view additional details, including subject, signing algorithms, and other certificate goodies, click 'Details'.
Certificate Details in Safari
So there you have it; now you can dive into certificates no matter what browser you’re using. Happy inspecting and safe and secure browsing!
p.s. As I said above, I will try and keep this post updated with the latest browser versions, but if you see I’ve fallen behind, please feel free to give me a friendly nudge in the comments.
Current Versions for Windows, macOS and iOS
Software extensions for supported Learning Management Systems:Moodle, ILIAS.
Windows
Safe Exam Browser 3.0.1 for Windows 8.1 and 10
SHA1: 8d7e987bd4997b0350a7afcba4b51c3dcfed52b9
Download from GitHub project site.
The next major version of Safe Exam Browser for Windows. SEB 3.x for Windows has been completely refactored and uses Chromium as integrated browser engine. However, SEB 3.0.0 does not yet provide the complete feature set of SEB 2.x (e.g. no Additional Resources). Below a list of the most prominent new features and changes:
- New, embedded browser engine (Chromium Version 81.0.4044.138).
- Dedicated builds for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.
- Supports kiosk mode switch when reconfiguring (e.g. from Create New Desktop to Disable Explorer Shell).
- Action Center (side menu) with same functionality as taskbar (i.e. access to applications and system controls).
- Lock Screen, which is activated if a prohibited application can’t be terminated.
- Access to developer tools of browser engine (for web developers).
- Real-time access to SEB application log (e.g. to test features like the URL filter).
- New settings to control browser session (for SEB-Moodle Deeper Integration, available in Moodle 3.9 and as plugin for Moodle 3.7 and 3.8).
- Improved user interface with new features (e.g. thumbnails of open windows in task view [ALT+TAB]).
- Completely automated build system with unit tests.
Version 3.0.1 contains a fix for the issues some users of SEB 3.0.0 observed specifically in BYOD environments. The new version should prevent that anti-malware software falsely identifies SEB 3.0 as malware (false-positive detection using heuristics and similar algorithms).
SEB 3.0.1 does no longer access the Windows Registry by default. This means that power options (shutdown, reboot) are no longer disabled and the options is the Windows Security Screen (accessed by Ctrl+Alt+Del) are not removed.
SEB still prevents the TaskManager to be used. If you prefer the current behavior, you can disable the new setting 'Ignore SEB Service' (setting key sebServiceIgnore = false). If you are using the SEB Windows Service, some of your students might again have to disable or uninstall anti-malware tools to run SEB, unless that software correctly recognizes SEB and doesn’t block it. We requested vendors of reported anti-malware applications to correct the false-positive detection of SEB 3.0 and so far got a positive answer from Avast and Bitdefender. Please inform us if you about other anti-malware products which block SEB (product name and version).
See release notes for all changes and read the manual for more information.
As SEB 3.0 does not yet support WebRTC functionality (e.g. access to webcams by web applications), we implemented a barebone browser with WebRTC support which can be used as third-party application in a SEB configuration. Visit Chrominimum on GitHub for more information.
Windows Legacy
Safe Exam Browser 2.4.1 for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10
SHA1: aec3ef8a45a40942f8675e7ab77b896e1ce05dba
Download from GitHub project site.
SEB 2.4.1 for Windows is a maintenance release, which can be used if the refactored, more modern version SEB 3.0.1 misses a feature you need. SEB 2.4.1 fixes an issue which was reported to happen when using the SEB-Moodle Deeper Integration (available by default in Moodle 3.9 and as plugin for Moodle 3.7 and 3.8).
Please note our new update policy: We will only support the latest SEB version and will remove all older SEB versions after a grace period. Only with updated SEB versions you can achieve the best possible security and stability of e-assessments. Before asking any support question or reporting a bug, install the latest SEB version and try to reproduce the issue with the most recent version. We can't answer questions anymore when the SEB version isn't mentioned or when you don't confirm you tried it with the current version.
New in SEB 2.4.1:
- Fixed issue when the old browser window stayed open while reconfiguring with seb(s) link, together with the Firefox file open dialog. Should fix issues when using SEB-Moodle Deeper Integration.
- Implemented fix for VMware Windows Registry error: The Registry value for 'Enable VMware Client Shade' will now only be set if the active configuration explicitly says so (see new setting in SEB Config Tool / Registry / 'Set VMware configuration'. Don't enable this setting if you are not running SEB in a VMware Horizon View virtual desktop.
- Added Zoom to list of prohibited applications. If you want to use Zoom together with SEB, you have to set its 'Active' property to false (Applications / Prohibited Processes).
- Added expansion of environment variables in path of permitted processes. This allows to configure applications to run as permitted process, which need to be installed in subdirectories of the user directory, for example %AppData%.
New since SEB 2.4:
- Config Key feature, hash checksum value to verify settings used by SEB. The Config Key can be generated automatically by a compatible exam system together with the SEB config to be used for an exam. All SEB versions supporting the Config Key generate the same key, as long as the same SEB config file is used.
- Implemented setting keys to control clearing cookies when starting/ending a session (examSessionClearCookiesOnStart / examSessionClearCookiesOnEnd). This can be used to keep users logged in (SEB started with client settings) after an exam session was started.
- Now TLS 1.2 is supported for downloading .seb files using sebs:// links.
- Added more default prohibited processes.
- Private clipboard should now also work correctly with rich-text editors like TinyMCE (fixed double pasting of text).
- Additional bugfixes.
Mac Download Certificate From Browser Internet Explorer
See release notes for all changes.
Other features:
- Using the powerful feature 'Additional Resources', external and embedded webpages, full or partial websites, HTML5 web applications and PDF documents can be accessed securely and easily in exams using icons in the SEB task bar (similar to permitted applications) or hierarchical popup menus.
- Support for encrypted .seb setting files which allow to individually configure SEB per exam. The configuration is compatible with the Windows, Mac and iOS versions of SEB. Use the separate SEB Windows configuration tool to create .seb settings.
- Buttons in the SEB task bar for back to start, reload page, change keyboard layout, switch Wi-Fi network, change audio volume and a display for the current time improve usability in exams.
- Feature to quit SEB after the exam is submitted by specifying a quit link and placing this on the summary page displayed by your LMS after submitting the exam.
- The Browser Exam Key allows an exam module to authenticate the connecting SEB version and its settings. Plug-ins offering this functionality have been released for the learning management systems Moodle and ILIAS, OpenOLAT from version 10.2 has built-in support.
- Configurable options (per exam) in the user interface: Size and positioning of browser windows (main window with the quiz and additional browser windows) can be preset. The SEB main browser window can be displayed full screen or as a sizable and movable window.
- Permitted third party applications are easy to start and to switch to (autostart together with SEB and by clicking on its icon in the SEB task bar). Prohibited processes and applications can be defined which are closed when SEB starts up. SEB contains a list of default prohibited processes too.
- PrintScreen can be blocked, the clipboard is cleared when SEB is started and stopped.
- Security feature which monitors processes and hinders all non-permitted applications to open, become active and display windows while SEB is running.
- Individual proxy settings, URL filters and server certificates can be used per exam.
- SEB config files saved for configuring a client can contain embedded cryptographic identities (X.509 certificates with private key) which will be installed in the Windows Certificate Store and then can be used to decrypt .seb config files without having to use a settings password.
- Screen saver and idle sleep are paused while SEB is running to prevent having to enter an screen unlock password before the exam starts.
SEB configuration editor for creating and modifying .seb settings files for Safe Exam Browser:
- Allows to define all options for the Windows and Mac versions of SEB 2.x.
- Can save .seb files for individual configuration per exam and per exam client, which are protected by strong encryption against manipulation.
- Configuration files can configure a SEB exam client to show for example a portal page with the current exams.
- Configuration files can be used to start an exam with individual configuration (like specific security and user interface options, permitted third party applications and additional resources, Browser Exam Key for authenticating these settings and the SEB application to an exam server, Quit Link to close SEB automatically when an exam is submitted etc.).
- Supports .seb files encrypted with password or X.509 (public/private key cryptography) certificates. For debugging purposes .seb configuration files can be saved unencrypted in an human readable XML format.
See release notes for all changes and read the manual for more information.
macOS
Current version of Safe Exam Browser for macOS 10.15, 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11 (limited support for 10.10, 10.9, 10.8* and 10.7*)
Build 2E48. SHA1: 6ea7500893d77d2ceb1329557108872f02b0701c
Download from GitHub project site.
SEB 2.2.1 for macOS is a major update, improving security by blocking prohibited processes, adding new capabilities and offering full compatibility to enhanced integrations with learning management systems, like the one available in Moodle 3.9.
- Prohibited Processes settings for blocking specific processes and applications from running together with SEB.
- Preset prohibited processes covering communication, screen sharing and recording apps. Let us know if you would like to suggest applications and tools to be added to those preset prohibited processes (we need information about the software and its name and Bundle Identifier (if applicable).
- Added settings to allow to reconfigure SEB, even it is already running in a secure exam session.
- Implemented setting keys to control clearing cookies when starting/ending an exam session (examSessionClearCookiesOnStart / examSessionClearCookiesOnEnd). This can be used to keep users logged in from the previous session after an exam session was started (and SEB reconfigured with new settings).
- Added setting to enable Web Inspector (web developer tools) in Preferences/Browser (same settings key allowDeveloperConsole as in SEB for Windows 3.0. If enabled and right click isn't disabled (see Preferences/Security/Hooked Keys/Enable Right Mouse), you can right click/ctrl-left click on a web page element and open Web Inspector with 'Inspect Element'.
- Added Mac-specific settings for blocking screen shots and screen recording. The separate settings allow to run SEB correctly in parallel with some remote proctoring tools.
- Added separate Mac setting for the Private Clipboard feature.
- Added Mac-specific setting for blocking screen sharing over the network (VNC): key screenSharingMacEnforceBlocked (default: false, then the value of the existing key allowScreenSharing is used).
- Added all SEB for iOS settings in Preferences window.
- Fixed that a wrong Config Key was calculated because of specific new default settings added in a new SEB version. This was the cause why SEB 2.1.4 did not work correctly with the new SEB integration in Moodle 3.9.
Fixed SEB 2.2 issues in SEB 2.2.1:
- Couldn't open Moodle 3.9 (Deeper Integration) quiz by starting SEB with indirect sebs:// link from another browser.
- Browser Exam and Config Key were not displayed correctly when opening the Preferences/Exams pane directly after loading an exam configuration.
- Starting SEB by loading configs from indirect sebs:// Links works now regardless of URL filter in client settings.
- Embedded SSL debug certificate with wildcard domains didn't work.
Main features:
- Support for encrypted SEB setting files (file type .seb) which allow to individually configure SEB per exam. You can use the same .seb files for starting exams on SEB Windows clients and SEB clients on macOS.
- Comfortable built-in editor for the platform-independent SEB configuration files, which can also set all additional individual settings for the Windows version.
- SEB features an optional dock/task bar displaying an icon for the SEB browser with controls for its open browser windows, additional buttons and display widgets.
- SEB can easily be quit after the exam is submitted by specifying a quit link and placing it on the summary page displayed by your LMS/exam system after submitting the exam.
- The Browser Exam Key allows an exam module to authenticate the connecting SEB version and its settings. Plug-ins offering this functionality have been released for the learning management systems Moodle and ILIAS, other systems have built-in support: OpenOLAT, Inspera Assessment and others.
- User interface can be customized: Size and positioning of browser windows (main window with the quiz and additional browser windows) can be preset. Main window can be displayed full screen. An indicator shows network activity.
- SEB can optionally display the standard macOS menu bar and a tool bar in browser windows, functions like 'About SEB', quit, open preferences, reload page, zoom page/text and browsing back/forward are therefore easier accessible.
- Enhanced URL filter including teaching mode to control access of the SEB browser to web links and resources. Saved settings files contain URL filter rules which also work in SEB for Windows.
Mac Download Certificate From Browser Firefox
See release notes for all changes and important information about new features and settings in SEB 2.2.1, which might require you to update your SEB configuration files.
* Please note: On macOS 10.7/10.8 SEB can only be used as an exam client, the preferences window is not available. Run SEB on macOS 10.9 or higher to create a .seb configuration file to configure SEB clients running on OS X 10.7/10.8 as well. With default settings, SEB 2.1.4 runs only on macOS 10.11 El Capitan or newer (as macOS 10.10 or older provide a clearly outdated and less compatible WebKit browser engine). You can change this setting if you want students to be able to use older macOS versions.
iOS
Current version of SafeExamBrowser for iOS 9.3.5 and newer
SEB for iOS opens a web browser without an address and search bar, loads a pre-configured webpage and locks an iPad (or iPhone or iPod Touch) into a single app kiosk mode.
New in SEB 2.1.17 for iOS:
- SEB 2.1.17 runs by default on iOS 14, removed check for running on iOS beta.
- New scroll lock button for better usability while using some drag-and-drop and drawing question types.
- Now displaying a disclaimer about the requirement to add an issue description before sending log files to the SEB developers in the integrated mail composer.
- Now writing SEB and iOS version and device info into log files.
- Fixed that a different Config Key was calculated on iOS 9/10 than on iOS 13/14 with some rare configuration files containing a deprecated setting.
- Error message in case AAC couldn't be started properly and device needs to be restarted will only show on iOS versions older than iOS 13.0.
- Fixed that SEB assumed an opened URL could be a Universal Link if decrypting the config from that URL failed.
- Fixed a common crash when the 'Search Network' button in the Initial Configuration Assistant is tapped.
Main Features:
- The single app kiosk mode used by SEB is built into the iOS operating system and therefore provides a high level of security.
- Students cannot switch to other apps, access other websites or communicate with other students during an exam.
- Notifications, FaceTime/voice calls and screen shots are also blocked.
- SEB for iOS works both on unmanaged iOS devices like students' own iPads as well as on iOS devices owned and managed by an institution.
- SEB for iOS is compatible with the existing versions for macOS and Windows. You can use the same SEB config links and files to start exams in SEB from Safari or Mail or to configure SEB to display your institution's exam system start/portal page.
- In SEB for iOS exams with individual settings can also be started by QR codes.
- SEB for iOS can be installed and configured using a mobile device management system, as it supports the iOS feature 'MDM Managed Configuration'.
- SEB for iOS is also compatible with Apple Classroom.
- This version contains some new features currently unique to the iOS version and almost all features of the macOS/Windows versions. Please check the compatibility of SEB for iOS version 2.1.14 with your exam system.
See release notes for complete list of new features and changes. Check out the SEB for iOS manual which explains all features (currently being updated for SEB 2.1.16). In addition, we published a first version of a tutorial which will help exam administrators to better understand how to configure and use SEB for iOS. It also includes how SEB for iOS can be used together with the Apple Classroom app. More topics will be added to this tutorial over time.
Learning Management Systems
Moodle
This plugin ensures that the right and unmodified SEB version using the correct (secure) settings is connecting to a Moodle quiz. After installing this plugin you can copy the Browser Exam Key hash code generated by SEB for the SEB settings used into the quiz settings in Moodle (see manuals for Windows/macOS versions of SEB).
Free Browsers For Mac
ILIAS
Mac Web Browser
This plugin ensures that the right and unmodified SEB version using the correct (secure) settings is connecting to an ILIAS instance with a specific user role. After installing this plugin you can copy the Browser Exam Key hash code generated by SEB for the SEB settings used into the ILIAS settings (see manuals for Windows/macOS versions of SEB).