Manage S/MIME credentials and certificates on HCL Verse iOS

This section talks about how to manage your S/MIME credentials and certificates that are necessary for reading and sending S/MIME signed or encrypted messages with HCL Verse iOS.

How do I... Action
Add S/MIME credentials to HCL Verse for iOS?

There are multiple ways to add S/MIME credentials to HCL Verse iOS to enable S/MIME signing and encryption capabilities.

  1. Importing from the File Picker
    1. Go to Settings > Account > S/MIME Credentials.
    2. Click on the (+) button on the top-right to open the Certificate File Picker.
    3. Select the desired PKCS#12 (PFX) file that you wish to import.
    4. When prompted, enter the password to the PFX file.
    5. The contents of the S/MIME credential will be displayed.
    6. Click Import.
    7. Enter a unique, user-friendly name to associate with the S/MIME credential. This is the name that will display on the S/MIME credential after it gets imported.
    8. Click OK to proceed.
    9. A prompt displays to confirm if the import completed successfully. Otherwise, an error message is displayed.
  2. Importing from an email attachment on Verse iOS

    The steps for importing S/MIME credentials from an email attachment are the same as the File Picker, except the S/MIME credential file (PKCS#12 certificate) is sent as an email attachment. Tapping on the attached PFX file invokes the import process. Follow the prompts to import the S/MIME credential successfully.

  3. Importing from the Apple File System (Files app) or 3rd party Email app

    Alternatively, if the S/MIME credential is stored in the iOS File system or received via a 3rd party Email app as an attachment, do the following:

    1. Long press on the S/MIME credential file.
    2. Click "Share" to open the file sharing options
    3. Clcik on the Verse iOS app icon from the Share options.
    4. The HCL Verse for iOS app launches with the certificate import prompt.
    5. Follow the prompts to import the S/MIME credential successfully.
Add S/MIME certificates to HCL Verse iOS?

S/MIME certificates are necessary for sending encrypted S/MIME messages to your intended recipients. There are multiple ways on how you can add them to Verse iOS:

  1. Importing S/MIME certificates from the Verse iOS certificate file picker.
    1. Go to Settings > Account > Collected S/MIME Certificates.
    2. Click on the (+) button on the top-right to open the Certificate File Picker.
    3. Select the desired certificate file that you wish to import.
    4. The contents of the S/MIME certificate displays.
    5. Click Import.
    6. Enter a unique, user-friendly name to associate with the S/MIME credential. This is the name that will display on the S/MIME credential after it gets imported.
    7. Click Import.
    8. A prompt displays to confirm if the import completed successfully. Otherwise, an error message is displayed.
  2. Importing S/MIME certificates from email attachments on Verse iOS.

    The steps for importing S/MIME certificates are the same as above. The only difference is you open the certificate by tapping from an email attachment on Verse iOS to invoke the import process. Follow the prompts to successfully import the S/MIME certificate.

  3. Importing S/MIME certificates from Apple File System (Files app) or 3rd party Email app

    Alternatively, if the S/MIME credential is stored in the iOS File system or received via a 3rd party Email app as an attachment, do the following:

    1. Long press on the S/MIME credential file.
    2. Click "Share" to open the file sharing options
    3. Clcik on the Verse iOS app icon from the Share options.
    4. The HCL Verse for iOS app launches with the certificate import prompt.
    5. Follow the prompts to import the S/MIME certificate successfully.
Import S/MIME root certificates to HCL Verse iOS?
Due to Apple security restrictions, 3rd party applications are not allowed to access the Apple Root Certificate Trust Store which is important for verifying the S/MIME signature of an S/MIME message. This means that you should import the CA Certificate that your organization uses for S/MIME signing or encryption. S/MIME CA Certificates can be imported into HCL Verse iOS’ secure keychain by following the steps below:
  1. Go to Verse iOS Settings > Account > Message Encryption
  2. Tap S/MIME CA Certificates.
  3. Tap (+) button to open the Certificate File Picker.
  4. The Certificate File Picker opens. Locate the S/MIME CA Certificate you wish to import and tap to select it.
  5. The Import Certificate dialog displays the certificate details. Tap Import on the upper right to continue.
  6. You can name the S/MIME CA Certificate for easier identification. The default name is the certificate’s Subject. Tap OK.
  7. A warning dialog will be displayed to inform the user to only import CA Certs that the organization trusts as this may result in unwanted trust verification of received S/MIME messages. Tap Proceed to continue (or Cancel to abort).
  8. A confirmation message is displayed when the import is successful, otherwise an error message is shown. Tap OK to dismiss.

Alternatively, you can also import the S/MIME CA Certs from an email attachment on HCL Verse iOS, via the Share > Open In options from a 3rd Party email attachment or from the Files app.

Remove imported S/MIME credentials from HCL Verse iOS?
There are two ways to remove imported S/MIME credentials from HCL Verse iOS.
  1. The first option is by doing a swipe-left action on the credential from the S/MIME Credentials window and tapping on the Delete option. Removing SMIME credentials from iOS
  2. The second option is by tapping the Remove Certificates option from Settings > Account > Application Cleanup. Removing SMIME credentials from iOS through application cleanup
Note: This action removes all S/MIME credentials and Root Certificates present in the secure keychain of HCL Verse iOS. Doing so also disables S/MIME and reset the "Default Encryption Type" to "Notes encryption".
Note: Uninstalling and reinstalling HCL Verse iOS from scratch also clears the secure keychain and any S/MIME credentials and Root certificates present. Additionally, all collected S/MIME certificates saved in the encrypted database of HCL Verse iOS are wiped out.