How to use the Certus application

As part of the electronic certificates available at AGH, the Certus application enables users to obtain and manage certificates used for signing and encrypting emails, as well as for using a qualified electronic signature.

Detailed instructions:

• Applying for a certificate for signing and encrypting emails
• Downloading other people’s public certificates
• Applying for a qualified electronic signature

Holding an S/MIME certificate enables you to sign and encrypt emails. A digital signature verifies the sender’s identity and the integrity of the message, whilst encryption ensures the confidentiality of correspondence, protecting it from being read by unauthorised persons.

To obtain such a certificate:

1. Log in to the Certus application (login is via AGH SSO). Go to the "Moje certyfikaty email" (EN: “My email certificates”) tab, then click the “Wnioskuj o certyfikat” (EN: “Apply for a certificate”) button.

2. Enter the security password, then click the “Generuj certyfikat” (EN: “Generate certificate”) button.

3. Please await an email containing a link to download the certificate.

4. Download the certificate file by clicking the “Pełna paczka” (EN: "Complete package”) button and import it into your email programme as described below, depending on which programme you are using:

• Importing your own email certificate into Thunderbird (recommended)
• Importing your own email certificate into Classic Outlook

If you are installing a certificate in the Mail app on macOS, please contact IT Support, as an additional script needs to be run.

Other people’s certificates are downloaded in the form of a so-called public key. This is essential for sending an encrypted message to each person.

In the Certus app, go to the “Certyfikaty email innych” (EN: “Other people’s email certificates”) tab. In this tab, you can:

• download the certificate (public key) of specific individuals using the search bar on the left-hand side. Search for the person, then click the “Pobierz” (EN: “Download”) button to save the certificate file to your local drive. The file will be named “First_Name_Surname.pem”.

• obtain certificates (public keys) for all staff members at your organisation:

1. Click on the “Pobieranie według jednostki” (EN: “Download by unit”) button.

2. Click the “Pobierz paczkę” (EN: “Download package”) button to save the file containing the certificates to your hard drive. The file will be named “certificates_Organisation.p7b”.

Import the downloaded certificate file into your email programme as described in the guide: Importing other people’s public certificates into Thunderbird. This will enable you to encrypt messages to people whose public certificates you hold.

A qualified digital signature enables you to sign electronic documents (e.g. PDF, Word and Excel files). Documents signed in this way have the same legal effect as documents bearing a handwritten signature.

To obtain a qualified digital signature:

1. Log in to the Certus application (log-in is via AGH SSO). Go to the “Moje podpisy kwalifikowane” (EN: “My qualified digital signatures”) tab, then click the "Wnioskuj o podpis kwalifikowany” (EN: “Apply for a qualified digital signature”) button.

2. Log in using your AGH LDAP Staff and Students Database credentials.

3. Select the type of card, fill in the form with the required details, and then click the “Złóż wniosek” (EN: “Submit application”) button.

4. Print out the generated application form. Once it has been signed by you and your manager, please submit it to the Chancellor’s Office (Building C-1, Room 13).

5. Please wait for an email notification from the KIR (National Clearing House) office regarding collection, which usually takes place at the Kraków branch (114a Lea Street, tel. 22 545 55 55) upon presentation of the identity document specified in the application.