When browsing SSL sites your browser encrypts the information sent to the server where it is decrypted. Normally, if a proxy is used by the browser, the proxy does not encrypt/decrypt the transactions - it simply passes the encrypted information through. In order for Analyzer to record the transactions, the internal recording proxy works differently - it decrypts/encrypts the transactions.
To make this work, Analyzer generates a "fake" certificate and presents it to the browser as the certificate for the server. In normal situations, this is considered a security hazard -- so when the browser detects this situation, it will display a warning message stating that it cannot verify the identity of the server. This is a good thing! If it didn't, then other programs might do what Analyzer does in order to steal your personal information.
To proceed with recording, you can simply accept the certificate and continue with the recording. This will not adversely affect Analyzer's ability to record your session, but it might produce recordings with response times that are significantly longer than a normal user would see (because of the time it takes you to dismiss the warning dialog). If a site uses multiple servers (such as most large banking and e-commerce sites), the security warning may be displayed multiple times.
Analyzer generates an internal root certificate that is used to sign all of the "fake" server certificates. This root certificate may be imported into your browser as a "trusted root certificate authority". This will allow your browser to automatically accept the certificates that are presented by Analyzer without displaying a warning message. Note that the internally generated root certificate is unique to your computer - this ensures that the certificate could not be used in a server-spoofing security breach (unless the attacker had already gained access to your computer and stolen the certificate).
To suppress the warning messages, two steps are required:
The root certificate may be exported in two different formats: CER or PEM. Most browsers will accept the CER format, so try it first.
note: the CER and PEM certificate files may be copied directly from the following folder (where <user> is your windows username) if the download links do not work:
C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\.webperformance
After installing the certificate, you will see it listed under the name Web Performance. The certificate will expire in 10 years.
After installing the certificate, you will see it listed under the name Web Performance. The certificate will expire in 10 years.