E-Mail Certificate Problems

[Ardua]

Just checked my e-mail to find that I have certificate issues. I am using Apple Mail with Mac OSX 10.7.4. Any ideas as to why this is occurring and is it safe for me to press Connect?  Many thanks.

[Simon]

Just checked, and the certificate to securemail.idnet.com has been changed, so yes, it's safe to accept the new certificate.  I had this on my iPhone this morning too.

[Ardua]

Thanks Simon.

[David58]

"Safe to accept" always seems to be the answer when I have these problems, which makes me ask:

• Why bother with this feature - presumably one day when we are told we can just accept the "new certificate", we will be wrong and open our computers to some miscreants?
• Can ISPs etc avoid this happening, and if they can't, can they put out a notice (e.g. by RSS) giving details of the new certificate that can be accepted?

David

[Simon]

Hi David,

In this case, "safe to accept" means IDNet have made a change (update?) themselves, which was verified by a phone call. 

Can't answer your second point, sorry, you'd need to ask IDNet themselves about that, but presumably, certificates are updated / renewed from time to time? 

[Ardua]

• Can ISPs etc avoid this happening, and if they can't, can they put out a notice (e.g. by RSS) giving details of the new certificate that can be accepted?

David

Agreed - some notice from the ISP would be helpful. Most people, I suggest, would be slightly suspicious of a certificate entitled 'Go Daddy Secure Certification Authority' - hardly a name to inspire confidence![/list]

[Simon]

Go Daddy are actually quite a big name in website hosting and security.

http://www.godaddy.com/

[Ardua]

Go Daddy are actually quite a big name in website hosting and security.

http://www.godaddy.com/

One learns something every day.

[David58]

Go Daddy are actually quite a big name in website hosting and security.

http://www.godaddy.com/

But who says so?  Their own website?  I could set up http://www.gomummy.com/ (or similar - gomummy has been grabbed by godaddy) and start pumping out "certificates".  Would you trust a certificate from http://www.gomother.com/ ?

[Simon]

I fail to see your point.  What difference does the name make?

[cavillas]

Godaddy have been going for many years and have a great reputation throughout the world, not just from its own website but from the many companies, organizations and review sites.  They DO go back a while.

Go Daddy was founded in 1997 as Jomax Technologies by Bob Parsons

Go Daddy is an Internet domain registrar and Web hosting company that also sells e-business related software and services. In 2010, it reached more than 45 million domain names under management. Go Daddy is currently the largest ICANN-accredited registrar in the world, and is four times the size of its closest competitor.

Go Daddy started advertising in the Super Bowl in 2005. Since then, the company expanded its marketing to include sports sponsorships.

Been going quite a while then.

[Glenn]

They even sponsor an accident waiting to happen, Danica Patrick. She intentionally wrecked another driver (Sam Hornish Jr) after the race at Telladega

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3zLy_KEQIA

[Gary]

But who says so?  Their own website?  I could set up http://www.gomummy.com/ (or similar - gomummy has been grabbed by godaddy) and start pumping out "certificates".  Would you trust a certificate from http://www.gomother.com/ ?

Go Daddy had a bike made for them by that moody lot at OCC (American Chopper) they are a huge company. Oddly enough I have not been prompted about Certificates using  Apple Mail on 10.7.4