Root Certificate Installation

Introduction to the Bash-Based Root certificate installation Worklet

The Root certificate installation Worklet is a versatile and useful tool designed for Mac systems running on Catalina or earlier versions. This Bash-based Worklet aims to install a root certificate on the system keychain, ensuring that your device recognizes and trusts certificates issued by specific Certificate Authorities (CAs). By adding trusted root certificates to your computer, you can enhance security and prevent potential issues with accessing websites, applications, and services using SSL/TLS encryption.

Why would you use the Root certificate installation Worklet?

In today's digital world, having trusted root certificates installed on your device is crucial for maintaining secure connections. Trusted root certification authorities issue SSL/TLS certificates that validate a website's authenticity and encrypt data transmitted between the user and the website.

Without these trusted root certificates in your device's trust store, browsers like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox might display warning messages about unsecured connections and restrict access to certain websites.

Using the Root certificate installation Worklet simplifies this process by automating it, helping maintain a high level of security across all devices within an organization.

Components of the Root certificate installation Worklet

This Worklets evaluation code checks whether your Mac device is running on Catalina or earlier versions since installing root certs using this method is only supported in those systems. If not compatible, it will exit without executing further steps.

The remediation code handles creating a temporary file containing the new root certificate provided in base64-encoded format. It then imports this certificate into the system keychain as a trusted root CA using the ‘security add-trusted-cert’ command before cleaning up any temporary files created during this process.

How does the Root certificate installation Worklet work?

Once executed on a targeted device or group of devices, this Worklet first validates if they are compatible with its functionality based on their Darwin version. If the device is running a compatible operating system, it proceeds to create a temporary file containing the new root certificate and adds it to the system keychain using the `security add-trusted-cert` command.

The Worklet then removes any temporary files created during this process and exits, leaving behind an updated trust store with the newly installed root certificate.

What is the expected outcome when you use the Root certificate installation Worklet?

Upon successful execution of the Root certificate installation Worklet, your Mac endpoints will have its trust store updated with a new trusted root certificate. This ensures that any SSL/TLS certificates issued by this CA are recognized and trusted by your system, preventing potential issues when accessing websites or services that use these certificates for secure connections.

This Worklet helps maintain a higher level of security across devices within an organization while also simplifying the process of keeping trust stores up-to-date.