User's Manual

CryptoIdentity User Guide – 4. Managing Digital Certificates with CryptoIdentity
• The window contains a list of the digital certificates and other public keys and objects
stored into the CryptoIdentity. To see also the private objects, login to the token (select
Token->Login menu and insert the CryptoIdentity PIN).
• To see the details of an object, just double-click it or select the Objects-> View menu.
• You can sort the object list by object Size, Type, Label, ID, Private.
4. 3 SUGGESTED POLICY FOR BACKUP OF DIGITAL
CREDENTIALS
If you are about to use the CryptoIdentity token for day-by-day professional activity—
protecting email, accessing corporate network, signing documents, etc.—it is essential that
the digital credentials used are properly backed up.
More specifically, if for any reason an encryption certificate and associated private key
becomes inaccessible (or the CryptoIdentity containing the certificate is lost), it will not be
possible to decrypt documents and emails previously encrypted with it.
To prevent this, make sure a backup exists on some secure media for your private keys
(and certificates).
For example, generate first of all the keys and certificate outside of the token and copy
them on a CDROM (or floppies) to be kept in a safe place (locker). Then, gain the
portability and security of storing the credentials into the CryptoIdentity by importing them
into it. You can use ImportPKCS12 utility, for example, to import the certificates and
cryptographic keys.
4. 3. 1 HOW TO BACKUP DIGITAL CREDENTIALS
To backup the digital credentials, generate and save the digital certificate in the Microsoft
Certificate System Store and then export it to a file. Then, import the certificate into the
CryptoIdentity.
Next steps describes the complete process to obtain a certificate from Verisign CA, save it
in a file (including associated cryptographic keys) and then import it into the CryptoIdentity.
You can apply the same process also for certificates issued by other CAs.
Follow these steps:
• Follow carefully the instructions explained in the section "4.1.2.1 Verisign" to obtain a
certificate from Verisign CA.