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Self Signed Cert Questions

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Web Development
helpcsharpsysadminwindows-adminsecurity
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  • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

    That should work, but I've never tried binding a cert to an IP address. Is there some reason you can't use the host name instead?


    "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

    K Offline
    K Offline
    Kevin Marois
    wrote on last edited by
    #8

    I guess I could. But I would be making one up as I have no host name. Could I just use "www.mysite.com"?

    If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

    Richard DeemingR 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • K Kevin Marois

      I guess I could. But I would be making one up as I have no host name. Could I just use "www.mysite.com"?

      If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

      Richard DeemingR Offline
      Richard DeemingR Offline
      Richard Deeming
      wrote on last edited by
      #9

      Yes, if you can edit the hosts file on the machine that's making the connection. Otherwise, just use the name of the machine you're connecting to.


      "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

      "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

      K J 2 Replies Last reply
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      • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

        Yes, if you can edit the hosts file on the machine that's making the connection. Otherwise, just use the name of the machine you're connecting to.


        "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

        K Offline
        K Offline
        Kevin Marois
        wrote on last edited by
        #10

        OK, so I can do:

        New-SelfSignedCertificate -DnsName "marois_dev_1" -CertStoreLocation "cert:\LocalMachine\My"

        where marois_dev_1 is my server name? and run this in PowerShell on my server. Then use that cert in IIS on my server?

        If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

        Richard DeemingR 1 Reply Last reply
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        • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

          Yes, if you can edit the hosts file on the machine that's making the connection. Otherwise, just use the name of the machine you're connecting to.


          "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

          J Offline
          J Offline
          jsc42
          wrote on last edited by
          #11

          Would a site name of localhost or 127.0.0.1 / 127.0.0.0 work?

          Richard DeemingR 1 Reply Last reply
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          • K Kevin Marois

            OK, so I can do:

            New-SelfSignedCertificate -DnsName "marois_dev_1" -CertStoreLocation "cert:\LocalMachine\My"

            where marois_dev_1 is my server name? and run this in PowerShell on my server. Then use that cert in IIS on my server?

            If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

            Richard DeemingR Offline
            Richard DeemingR Offline
            Richard Deeming
            wrote on last edited by
            #12

            Yes, that should work.


            "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

            "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

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            • J jsc42

              Would a site name of localhost or 127.0.0.1 / 127.0.0.0 work?

              Richard DeemingR Offline
              Richard DeemingR Offline
              Richard Deeming
              wrote on last edited by
              #13

              That would only work if your client was running on the server. The localhost name and the loopback address always point to the current computer.


              "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

              "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

                A self-signed certificate created via IIS will only work for "localhost". If you want to create a self-signed cert for a different host, you'll need to specify the common name for it. For example, in Powershell:

                New-SelfSignedCertificate -DnsName "your-host-name" -CertStoreLocation "cert:\LocalMachine\My"

                New-SelfSignedCertificate (pki) | Microsoft Docs[^] If you're planning on accessing the API from outside of your own network, you'll want a real cert for a real external hostname. Assuming the DNS resolves correctly, you can probably use Let's Encrypt[^] to get a free cert.


                "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                K Offline
                K Offline
                Kevin Marois
                wrote on last edited by
                #14

                Richard Deeming wrote:

                New-SelfSignedCertificate -DnsName "your-host-name" -CertStoreLocation "cert:\LocalMachine\My"

                Can you clarify the -CertStoreLocation here? I don't understand where the cert was created? Thank you

                If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

                Richard DeemingR 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • K Kevin Marois

                  Richard Deeming wrote:

                  New-SelfSignedCertificate -DnsName "your-host-name" -CertStoreLocation "cert:\LocalMachine\My"

                  Can you clarify the -CertStoreLocation here? I don't understand where the cert was created? Thank you

                  If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

                  Richard DeemingR Offline
                  Richard DeemingR Offline
                  Richard Deeming
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #15

                  It's created in the "computer account" certificate store, under the "Personal" folder. It won't appear in certutil.msc; you'll need to open up MMC, add the certificates snap-in, and select "computer account".


                  "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                  "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

                  K 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

                    It's created in the "computer account" certificate store, under the "Personal" folder. It won't appear in certutil.msc; you'll need to open up MMC, add the certificates snap-in, and select "computer account".


                    "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                    K Offline
                    K Offline
                    Kevin Marois
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #16

                    Richard, thanks for your help so far, however, I'm still stuck on this and could use some more help. Here's what I;ve done so far: 1 - Created a self-signed cert. [Here](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlkRTpT49yCMmgjIjxa4aANDC90v?e=1RlBuD) 2 - The Cert appears in the cert store. [Here](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlkRTpT49yCMmgYhLXfbTynXuPJn?e=kjN7sp) 3 - The cert appears in IIS. [here](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlkRTpT49yCMmgebyjXbM1cp629-?e=l6PIVs) 4 - Add the API in IIS using the cert. [Here](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlkRTpT49yCMmgXPTh4iuqJFvwC1?e=wPINDg) 5 - Browse the site in IIS. I still get the cert error. [Here](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlkRTpT49yCMmgQ2QlVeta149Zu4?e=eDyG9i) I'm guessing that I'm still missing something.

                    If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

                    Richard DeemingR 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • K Kevin Marois

                      Richard, thanks for your help so far, however, I'm still stuck on this and could use some more help. Here's what I;ve done so far: 1 - Created a self-signed cert. [Here](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlkRTpT49yCMmgjIjxa4aANDC90v?e=1RlBuD) 2 - The Cert appears in the cert store. [Here](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlkRTpT49yCMmgYhLXfbTynXuPJn?e=kjN7sp) 3 - The cert appears in IIS. [here](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlkRTpT49yCMmgebyjXbM1cp629-?e=l6PIVs) 4 - Add the API in IIS using the cert. [Here](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlkRTpT49yCMmgXPTh4iuqJFvwC1?e=wPINDg) 5 - Browse the site in IIS. I still get the cert error. [Here](https://1drv.ms/u/s!AlkRTpT49yCMmgQ2QlVeta149Zu4?e=eDyG9i) I'm guessing that I'm still missing something.

                      If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

                      Richard DeemingR Offline
                      Richard DeemingR Offline
                      Richard Deeming
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #17

                      Your OneDrive links all return "Something went wrong" errors for me. What's the text of the error message?


                      "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                      "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

                      K 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

                        Your OneDrive links all return "Something went wrong" errors for me. What's the text of the error message?


                        "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                        K Offline
                        K Offline
                        Kevin Marois
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #18

                        "There is a problem with this website's security certificate. The security certificate presented by this website was issued for a different website's address The security certificate presented by this website was not issued by a trusted certificate authority"

                        If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

                        Richard DeemingR 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • K Kevin Marois

                          "There is a problem with this website's security certificate. The security certificate presented by this website was issued for a different website's address The security certificate presented by this website was not issued by a trusted certificate authority"

                          If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

                          Richard DeemingR Offline
                          Richard DeemingR Offline
                          Richard Deeming
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #19

                          Kevin Marois wrote:

                          The security certificate presented by this website was not issued by a trusted certificate authority"

                          Which is to be expected when you're using a self-signed certificate; it wasn't issued by a trusted certificate authority.

                          Kevin Marois wrote:

                          The security certificate presented by this website was issued for a different website's address

                          That suggests you generated the cert for a different host name than the one you're using in the client. For example, if you generated a cert for "localhost", and try to connect to "my-super-pc-name", you'll get this error.


                          "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                          "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

                          K 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

                            Kevin Marois wrote:

                            The security certificate presented by this website was not issued by a trusted certificate authority"

                            Which is to be expected when you're using a self-signed certificate; it wasn't issued by a trusted certificate authority.

                            Kevin Marois wrote:

                            The security certificate presented by this website was issued for a different website's address

                            That suggests you generated the cert for a different host name than the one you're using in the client. For example, if you generated a cert for "localhost", and try to connect to "my-super-pc-name", you'll get this error.


                            "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                            K Offline
                            K Offline
                            Kevin Marois
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #20

                            Well, it seems that I can now access the API on my server from my Dev PC using Postman:

                            https://marois_dev_1:8091/api/Person/GetPerson?personId=1

                            This part appears to be resolved. Now, I tried to allow access to the API from OUTSIDE my home network I've opened the port on the firewall and router, but it throws

                            "An error occurred while sending the request. "

                            with 2 inner exceptions

                            Inner Exception 1:
                            WebException: The underlying connection was closed: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel.

                            Inner Exception 2:
                            AuthenticationException: The remote certificate is invalid according to the validation procedure.

                            I'm guessing the self-signed cert won't work for this? [UPDATE] This works, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on all of this [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/703272/could-not-establish-trust-relationship-for-ssl-tls-secure-channel-soap\](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/703272/could-not-establish-trust-relationship-for-ssl-tls-secure-channel-soap)

                            //Trust all certificates
                            System.Net.ServicePointManager.ServerCertificateValidationCallback =
                            ((sender, certificate, chain, sslPolicyErrors) => true);

                            If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

                            Richard DeemingR 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • K Kevin Marois

                              Well, it seems that I can now access the API on my server from my Dev PC using Postman:

                              https://marois_dev_1:8091/api/Person/GetPerson?personId=1

                              This part appears to be resolved. Now, I tried to allow access to the API from OUTSIDE my home network I've opened the port on the firewall and router, but it throws

                              "An error occurred while sending the request. "

                              with 2 inner exceptions

                              Inner Exception 1:
                              WebException: The underlying connection was closed: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel.

                              Inner Exception 2:
                              AuthenticationException: The remote certificate is invalid according to the validation procedure.

                              I'm guessing the self-signed cert won't work for this? [UPDATE] This works, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on all of this [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/703272/could-not-establish-trust-relationship-for-ssl-tls-secure-channel-soap\](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/703272/could-not-establish-trust-relationship-for-ssl-tls-secure-channel-soap)

                              //Trust all certificates
                              System.Net.ServicePointManager.ServerCertificateValidationCallback =
                              ((sender, certificate, chain, sslPolicyErrors) => true);

                              If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

                              Richard DeemingR Offline
                              Richard DeemingR Offline
                              Richard Deeming
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #21

                              The exception from outside is the same as before: a self-signed certificate is not issued by a trusted CA, and won't be trusted by default. The validation callback you've shown will work, but only by turning off all SSL validation. If someone managed to poison the DNS for your external users, they can easily impersonate your service with any certificate, even if it doesn't match the name you've used. You would do better to examine the parameters passed in, and verify that the certificate matches the one you're expecting. But then you would have to update that callback every time your certificate expired and was replaced. Alternatively, you could try to convince your external users to add your certificate to the "trusted" certificate store. But the simplest option is to use a proper domain name, and get a proper certificate. You don't even have to pay for it - so long as your domain can be resolved publicly, you can use Let's Encrypt[^] to get a free cert.


                              "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                              "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

                              K 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

                                The exception from outside is the same as before: a self-signed certificate is not issued by a trusted CA, and won't be trusted by default. The validation callback you've shown will work, but only by turning off all SSL validation. If someone managed to poison the DNS for your external users, they can easily impersonate your service with any certificate, even if it doesn't match the name you've used. You would do better to examine the parameters passed in, and verify that the certificate matches the one you're expecting. But then you would have to update that callback every time your certificate expired and was replaced. Alternatively, you could try to convince your external users to add your certificate to the "trusted" certificate store. But the simplest option is to use a proper domain name, and get a proper certificate. You don't even have to pay for it - so long as your domain can be resolved publicly, you can use Let's Encrypt[^] to get a free cert.


                                "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                                K Offline
                                K Offline
                                Kevin Marois
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #22

                                Great. Thank you again

                                If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.

                                1 Reply Last reply
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