Digital Certificate Chains using Java

[cjordan]

Hi folks,

First let me start by saying that I'm not really a Java programmer, but this seemed like a somewhat advanced topic so I chose this particular forum over the "New to Java" forum which probably describes me a bit better. Also, I searched the internet for a forum dealing specifically with digital certificates, but was unable to locate one. So I hope this forum is an okay place to post my question.

I'm writing an application in ColdFusion8 that needs to examine a digital certificate. In CF8 I'm able to access native Java classes because CF has been written entirely in Java since version 6. So, I finally figured out how to actually download the certificate and inspect it. However, when I get the certificate, it looks like what I'm really getting is the whole certificate chain, which is fine really.

So, one of the things I need to do with each certificate in the chain is to check and see if it's on the Certificate Revocation List. Well, I've got no trouble getting access to the CRL for the first two certificates in the chain, but not for the third.

In fact, I can get the address for the CRL from the first two certificates, but not from the third. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Or perhaps it's something about the nature of certificate chains that I don't understand.

I would love any help that I could get even if that help is, "Ask this question over at xyz forum, they're experts with this stuff! "

Also (as a side note) I'm leaving the country tomorrow and won't be back for a week, so if you respond to this and I don't respond back right away, that's why.

Cheers everyone and I hope someone can help me!!