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Originally published at Internet.comReview Part 1
In our previous article, we covered how to break the barrier of the sandbox model in Microsoft Internet Explorer by making use of digital certificates. In this article, we will demonstrate how to do the same in Netscape Communicator. We will provide a step-by-step procedure to create an applet employing Netscape privileges APIs, create a digital certificate employing Netscape signing tools, and package and sign the applet into a .jar file.
Communicator Capabilities
Communicator security capabilities represent the user's approval or denial of access to specified system resources for a specified signer. Java code requests capabilities only when it needs such access. Examples of capabilities that a Java applet might ask for are: writing to the hard disk, reading from the hard disk, opening a remote connection, etc.
User visits a Web page through Communicator containing a Java applet. As the applet is being downloaded, Communicator transparently checks to see if the applet is signed and attempts to verify the signature. If the applet is signed and the signature is verified, the applet can request capabilities. If the applet is unsigned or if the signature is unverified, the applet is restricted to running inside the sandbox...
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