Confirming the Validity of a Certificate

Steps to Validate a Certificate:

1. Open certificate in MMC → Details tab

2. Check:

   • Issuer matches the correct CA

   • Validity period is current

   • Signature algorithm is valid (not SHA1)

3. Click Certification Path tab:

   • Ensure there are no red Xs in the chain

4. Check Revocation Status:

   • Ensure CRL or OCSP is reachable and up to date

   • Use:

certutil -verify certificate.cer

ip: Use certutil -urlfetch -verify to test both OCSP and CRL connections.