Updating trusted root certificates on a client computer

Abstract

An update process is used to update root certificates in a root certificate store of a client computer, maintaining the integrity of the existing root certificates as well as any new root certificates. In one embodiment, the root certificate store is updated by adding root certificates to the store, removing root certificates from the store, or modifying usage restrictions of root certificates in the store. A cryptographically signed message including a certificate trust list, as well as any new root certificates to be added to the root certificate store, is accessed by an update root control to update the root certificates in the root certificate store. The update root control verifies the integrity of the message, and thus the integrity of the certificate trust list contained therein. Once such integrity is verified, the update root control proceeds to update the root certificate store in accordance with the information in the certificate trust list. In another embodiment, root certificates in the root certificate store are updated when a World Wide Web web page is accessed by the client. A check is made during the access as to whether the client's root certificate store should be updated (e.g., a new root certificate is needed in order to access the web page). If the store should be updated, then the client is redirected to another web page that hosts the update root control. The update root control executes to update the client's certificate store, and then redirects the client back to the originally requested web page.