CoreStreet Desktop Validation Client & Server Validation Extension

The ActivIdentity CoreStreet suite of products includes two client components that, together with the ActivIdentity CoreStreet Validation Authority and Responder Appliance, complete the secure certificate validation infrastructure, as shown in the diagram below.

ActivIdentity CoreStreet Validation: How it Works

ActivIdentity CoreStreet Desktop Validation Client - provides a plug-in for a Windows-based computer to perform secure validation of digital certificates. This plug-in adds automatic certificate validation to all applications that use the Microsoft Windows Cryptographic API (CAPI).

To validate the current status of a digital certificate, the Desktop Validation Client retrieves secure certificate status information from a validation responder based on one or more secure validation technologies. The most common validation protocol used by the ActivIdentity CoreStreet Desktop Validation Client is the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP). Additionally, the CoreStreet Desktop Validation Client supports other validation methods such as ActivIdentity's MiniCRL.

The ActivIdentity CoreStreet Desktop Validation Client provides a configuration export facility to help ease the rollout into large organizations. Together with a silent installation option, a pre-configured installation enables an administrator to setup all options and the security information appropriate for their organization. Using this pre-configured, silent installation, most users will require no individual technical support to facilitate an enterprise-wide rollout - thus reducing the cost and simplifying the process of making fast and secure validation a reality.

ActivIdentity CoreStreet Server Validation Extension - provides the means for an application server to validate the status of a digital certificate when a client requests access to a secure web application. Supported servers include:

• Microsoft IIS
• Microsoft Domain Controller
• Microsoft Exchange Outlook Web Access

The Server Validation Extension acts as a liaison between the requesting client, a responder containing the most recent certificate status, and the requested web application. To establish the validity of a certificate, the ActivIdentity CoreStreet Server Validation Extension requests current certificate status from a responder. The responder then returns an Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) response, establishing the certificate's status. Finally, the application server permits or denies the client access to the requested secure page.

The ActivIdentity CoreStreet Server Validation Extension has been designed to complement ActivIdentity's Distributed OCSP infrastructure. When used in concert, the two technologies dramatically decrease response times while providing increased security, scalability and availability over first generation OCSP implementations.