iPhone Configuration Utility Tips for Using iOS Devices Securely

Tech experts state that using self-signed SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificates can offer basic protection against malicious threats, but you may need to change iPhone security and privacy settings. SSL certificates aren’t too costly to purchase, but it is better to create some of your own to enjoy customized protection. Self-signed SSL certificates can create security-related certificates for free, without paying fees to the digital certificate issuing body Certificate Authority (CA) or engaging in any auditing requirements. Since self-signed certificates will not be able to convince your browsers to trust websites automatically, read the tips on how to setup iOS for self-signed certificates.

1.       Never Accept Self-Signed Certificate in Mobile Safari

 

Undoubtedly, self-signed permissions offer basic protection against malicious threats, but the tool also has some significant downsides. Accepting the personal security certificate in Safari will just add an SSL exception that will restrict the browser from warning you about the health of a website. It will not install the settings as a trusted certificate on iOS, and some of the iPhone apps may fail to connect to the site. If you’re an iOS 7 user, then think twice before adding a personally signed certificate. It is just because once the SSL exception gets added; you will not be able to remove it.

2.       Install Certificates as an iOS Configuration Profile

 

All Apple users can add an SSL certificate to the trusted list by emailing the configuration profile file as an attachment. You can then select ‘Install to add the certificate’ option to use it without getting constant warnings in Safari or other iOS/iPhone apps. The best part of the tips is that you can access the SSL certificate any time and can remove it by visiting Settings->General->Profiles > and then Delete. You can download and install iPhone configuration utility for Mac and PC to create your personally signed certificates. The utility functions serve as an ideal option if you can’t access your email from your iOS device or have too many gadgets to manage.

3.       Never Create Self-Signed Certificates Within IIS

Although, you may find it easy to create self-signed certificates in IIS (short for Internet Information Services), but sometimes the computer name will not match the intended hostname. Additionally, the final certificate will use the computer name as the hostname, and your iOS device may deny accepting them. 

4.       Try Creating Certificates With OpenSSL

 Open the OpenSSL command line tool to create a self-signed certificate because you can utilize the settings or programs installed by default on Mac OS X. To begin, type “openssl genrsa -out myselfsigned.key 2048” command to create a private key file. Now, run “openssl req -new -x509 -key myselfsigned.key -out myselfsigned.cer -days 365 -subj /CN=www.mysite.com” command to create the self-signed certificate. Additionally, you can use some popular websites to create the certificates, but downloading OpenSSL is the most secure option.

5.       Create a Personal Certificate Authority (CA)

Self-signed certificates require you to set up trust relationships for every certificate on each iOS device you use. Your own Certificate Authority (CA) can create multiple certificates, and you can add custom features to the profiles to meet your desired requirements. As a result, the iOS devices will automatically trust certificates based on your root CA certificate. You can also install the Personal Certificate Authority (CA) guidelines on a web server and access it from any iOS device to ensure safer online environment.

Conclusion

Apple’s iPhone Configuration Utility is an amazing tool that helps Apple device users to distribute configuration profiles easily and securely.  An employee having an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or other iOS devices can easily tweak the iPhone settings and install the utility to get desired results. Since iPad configuration may differ from that of an iPhone, the company has also released iPad Configuration Utility to manage different versions of your iOS slates. Managing iPhone security is becoming a stiff challenge for Apple users because malware authors are constantly releasing malicious codes to infect company’s highly secure virtual environment.