Communicator Help: Using AOL<sup><font size=-2>®</font></sup> Communicator Identity Manager

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Using AOL Communicator Identity Manager

Getting Started With Identity Manager

This section is intended for advanced users who already have one or more digital certificates and want to use them to send signed and encrypted IM or e-mail messages with AOL Communicator. If you don't currently have a certificate, see Getting Your Own Certificate.

If your certificates are stored by the Windows operating system for use with Internet Explorer, you can synchronize them with the certificates used by AOL Communicator. For instructions, see Synchronize Windows Certificates with AOL Communicator.

If your certificates are stored in Netscape® 6.x or Netscape® 7.x, you can export them from Netscape and then import them into AOL Communicator. To do so, follow the directions in Export Netscape 6.x/7.x Certificates.

Synchronize Windows Certificates with AOL Communicator
Export Netscape 6.x/7.x Certificates
Import Your Certificates
Configure Mail to Use Your Certificates
Configure Instant Messenger Software to Use Your Certificates

Related topic:

Managing Passwords

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Synchronize Windows® Certificates with AOL Communicator

Some Windows certificates may not be exportable: Windows has an option that marks new certificates as nonexportable. By default, this option is turned on. Certificates that have been marked as nonexportable cannot be exported to any other certificate database, and therefore can't be synchronized as described here.

To synchronize AOL Communicator certificates with the exportable certificates stored by Windows for use with Internet Explorer:

1. Click Start, then Programs, then AOL Communicator, then Tools, and choose AOL Communicator Identity Manager.
2. In the Personal tab, click Synchronize.

The Synchronize Personal Certificates dialog box appears.

3. Select the direction in which you want to synchronize:

- Both directions. Export AOL Communicator certificates to Windows and import Windows certificates to AOL Communicator, so that both sets of certificates are identical.
- Import into Identity Manager only. Import Windows certificates to AOL Communicator. Any certificates already present in AOL Communicator but not in Windows will not be exported to Windows.
- Export from Identity Manager only. Export AOL Communicator certificates to Windows. Any certificates already present in Windows but not in AOL Communicator will not be imported to AOL Communicator.

If you haven't yet imported any certificates into AOL Communicator, either the first or second options will work.

Windows 2000 Note: If you have a smart card reader set up, you may have to insert the smart card during certificate synchronization, even though the smart card isn't involved in the synchronization process.

Related topics:

You may need to adjust the trust settings for the newly imported certificates before using them. For details, see Trust Tab under Certificate Properties.

To set up your newly imported certificates for signing and encrypting e-mail and instant messages, see Configure Mail to Use Your Certificates and Configure Instant Messenger Software to Use Your Certificates.

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Export Netscape 6.x/7.x Certificates

To export your certificates from Netscape 6.x or Netscape 7.x in a `.p12` file that you can then import into AOL Communicator, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Netscape program.
2. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
3. Under the Privacy & Security category, click Certificates. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Privacy & Security to expand the list.)
4. Click Manage Certificates.
5. In the Your Certificates tab, Shift-click to select the certificates you want to export, then click Backup.
6. Navigate to the location where you want to store your exported certificates file, type a name for the file, and click Save.
7. Enter your Master Password for the security device on which the certificates are stored, then click OK.
8. Type a password to protect the file you are exporting. You must type exactly the same password twice, once in each field. Then click OK.
   You'll see a message confirming that you have successfully backed up your certificates. To import them into AOL Communicator, follow the directions in the next section.

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Import Your Certificates

To import certificates saved as a `.p12` file on your hard disk, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, then Programs, then AOL Communicator, then Tools, and choose AOL Communicator Identity Manager.
2. Click Import.
3. Select the `.p12` file that contains your certificates and click Open.
4. If necessary, enter a new password for the Software Security Device, which is where AOL Communicator stores your certificates internally. Type the same password in each field, then click OK.
5. Enter the password used to protect your the `.p12` file you want to import.
   If the importing is successful, the imported certificates appear in the list of your personal certificates.

You can now configure AOL Communicator Mail and Instant Messenger for AOL Communicator to use these certificates for signing and encrypting messages. The next two sections describe how.

Related topic:

You may need to adjust the trust settings for the newly imported certificates before using them. For details, see Trust Tab under Certificate Properties.

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Configure Mail to Use Your Certificates

To configure a POP or IMAP mail account to use your imported certificates for signing and encrypting e-mail messages, follow these steps:

1. In AOL Communicator Mail, open the Edit menu and choose Account Settings.
2. Double-click the name of the account with which you want to use your certificates. (You can't use certificates with AOL accounts.)
3. Click the Security tab.
4. Select your certificates from the two drop-down lists:

- Use this certificate to digitally sign messages sent from this account.
- Use this certificate to encrypt and decrypt messages for this account

5. If you wish to sign and/or encrypt all messages by default (unless you indicate otherwise in the Write Mail window), select one or both of these checkboxes:

- Digitally sign messages by default
- Encrypt messages by default

6. Click OK to confirm your changes and return to the Account Settings dialog box.
7. Click OK to return to the main Mail window.

You can now send signed e-mail messages and use encryption.

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Configure Instant Messenger Software to Use Your Certificates

To configure Instant Messenger for AOL Communicator to use your imported certificates for signing and encrypting instant messages, follow these steps:

1. From your Buddy List® window, open the MyIM menu and choose Preferences.
   The Instant Messenger Preferences window opens.
2. Click Security in the left column.
3. Select your certificates from the two drop-down lists:

- Encryption Certificate
- Signing Certificate

4. Click OK.
5. If you are asked to provide your password, type the password you created earlier for the Software Security Device and click OK.

You can now send signed and encrypted instant messages to buddies who are also using Instant Messenger for AOL Communicator or any other version of AIM software that supports encryption, as long as they have also configured their certificates correctly.

Related topics:

Import Your Certificates

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The sections in this document that discuss security, encryption, and privacy are provided by AOL for your information only. They may help you take certain steps to protect the privacy and security of your personal information on the Internet. This document does not, however, address all online privacy and security issues, nor does it represent a recommendation by AOL about what constitutes adequate privacy and security protection on the Internet.

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Last Updated September 16, 2003