Is there a way to test 2 way ssl through browser?

Question

If so, How do you set certificate for authentication, what files do you need? is it .pfx? How would you install that in browser? Been stuck trying to test 2 way ssl through browser. I have a webservice, and trying to connect always returns certification authentication failed.

Answer 1

Expanding on nickrak's answer. 2-way SSL means that the client trusts the webservice, and that the webservice trusts/authenticates the client.

On the webservice side:

Add the client's CA cert into the webservice's trusted certificates. The "CN" in the webservice server certificate must match the URL of the webservice. The webservice server certificate must not be expired. The webservice may choose to do further authentication based on the client certificate...for example, is the client certificate in a "whitelist" of authorized clients. Perhaps the webservice has multiple levels of access, so the client certificate is checked to determine how much access to give the client.

On the client side:

The CA that signed the webservice server certificate will need to be added to the client's trusted certificate list. In a browser, this will be in the "Trusted Root Certification Authorities" section (IE, Chrome) or "Authorities" section (Firefox). The extensions for these certificates are usually .der, .cer, .crt, or .pem. Also, the client's own private key/certificate combination need to be added to the client browser. This will be in the "Personal" section (IE, Chrome) or "Your Certificates" (Firefox). The extensions for these keystores are usually .p12 or .pfx.

Answer 2

1. Add the client's CA's public certificate to the Trusted Root Certificate Store.
2. Add the client's public and private key to the browser's Personal Certificate Store. (usually a pfx, but might also be a der/pem/crt/cer.)
3. Navigate to page requiring certificate
4. Optionally, depending on browser: select the certificate you want to use for this connection.
5. Hopefully, success.