S/MIME Certificate Self-Service

A knowledge base article about S/MIME Certificate Self-Service provided by the UC Berkeley IT Service Hub - Knowledge Portal

How to Request an S/MIME Client Certificate

This guide outlines the process for requesting S/MIME client certificates for your primary @berkeley.edu account. S/MIME certificates are used to sign and encrypt email communications.

Note: S/MIME certificates are issued with the subject CN=University of California, Berkeley. This is standard behavior; your specific email address is included as a "Subject Alternative Name" (e.g., rfc822name=user@berkeley.edu).

Requirement: You must be familiar with your specific email client (Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.), as CalNet does not provide support for third-party client configuration.


Enrollment Process

  1. Open a Private or Incognito browser window.
  2. Navigate to the Sectigo Certificate Manager Enrollment Page.
  3. Select the CalNet login option and log in with your credentials.
  4. Locate Enrollment:
    • If you have never had a certificate, you will be prompted to enroll immediately.
    • If you have existing certificates, click Enroll Certificate in the top right corner.

    The Enroll Certificate button located in the navigation header.

  5. When prompted for an Access Code, enter: oski
  6. Set Certificate Term: Choose the desired duration (the dropdown defaults to the shortest term).
  7. Select Key Type: We recommend leaving this at the default setting.
  8. Click Submit.
  9. Choose Key Protection Algorithm:

    The default Secure AES256-SHA256 may not work with all clients. If you use a Mac or iOS device, select TripleDES-SHA1.

  10. Set Certificate Password: Enter a password for the certificate's private key twice.
    Important: You must remember this password to import the certificate into your email app later.

    Password entry fields for securing the private key of the certificate.

  11. Click Download to save the certificate file to your computer.

Support

If you have questions about the enrollment process, please contact calnet-admin@berkeley.edu.