The Java TM Tutorial

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Trail: Security in JDK 1.2
Lesson: Exchanging Files

## Import the Certificate as a Trusted Certificate

> Suppose that you are Ruth and have received from Stan Smith

> - The signed JAR file `sContract.jar` containing a contract

> - The file `StanSmith.cer` containing the public key certificate for the public key corresponding to the private key used to sign the JAR file

> Before you can use the `jarsigner` tool to check the authenticity of the JAR file's signature, you need to import into your keystore the certificate from Stan.

> Even though you (acting as Stan) created these files and they haven't actually been transported anywhere, you can simulate being someone other than the creater and sender, Stan. Acting as Ruth, type the following to create a keystore named `ruthstore` and import the certificate into an entry with an alias of `stan`.

> >     keytool -import -alias stan -file StanSmith.cer -keystore ruthstore

> Since the keystore doesn't yet exist, it will be created. You will be prompted for a keystore password; type whatever password you want.

> The `keytool` will print out the certificate information and ask you to verify it, for example, by comparing the displayed certificate fingerprints with those obtained from another (trusted) source of information. (Each fingerprint is a relatively short number that uniquely and reliably identifies the certificate.) For example, in the real world you might call up Stan and ask him what the fingerprints should be. He can get the fingerprints of the `StanSmith.cer` file he created by executing the command

> >     keytool -printcert -file StanSmith.cer

> If the fingerprints he sees are the same as the ones reported to you by `keytool`, the certificate has not been modified in transit. In that case you let `keytool` proceed with placing a "trusted certificate" entry in the keystore. The entry contains the public key certificate data from the file `StanSmith.cer` and is assigned the alias `stan`.

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