How to Configure Java VM to Use Mac OS X Root Certificates as Truststore

How can I configure the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to use the root certificates (truststore) managed by macOS?

# Example command to set Java options in the terminal
export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home)

Configuring the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to leverage the root certificates managed by macOS enhances security, especially for applications establishing SSL connections. This guide provides the necessary steps to set up the JVM to use the macOS truststore effectively.

# Command to set truststore properties in a Java application
java -Djavax.net.ssl.trustStore=/path/to/macos-truststore.pem \
    -Djavax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword=yourpassword \
    -jar yourapplication.jar

Causes

• Mac OS X utilizes Keychain to manage root certificates, which are not automatically accessible to the JVM.
• The JVM relies on its own truststore located in a specific directory unless configured otherwise.

Solutions

• Find the path to the macOS Keychain truststore via `security find-certificate -a -p /Library/Keychains/System.keychain > macOS-truststore.pem` to export all certificates into a PEM file.
• Use the `keytool` command provided by Java to import these certificates into the JVM truststore.
• Alternatively, set the `javax.net.ssl.trustStore` and `javax.net.ssl.trustStorePassword` system properties to point to the exported PEM file.

Mistake: Failing to export the correct certificates from macOS.

Solution: Ensure you are exporting from the right location and include all needed certificates.

Mistake: Not setting permissions correctly on the truststore file.

Solution: Use the `chmod` command to set appropriate permissions (e.g., chmod 644) on the truststore file.