---
sourceDocument: Australia Security Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/security-management

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Security Management

ft:clusterId :

    - security

bundleId :

    - security

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Use certificates for authentication

# Use certificates for authentication {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

Request an access token with a certificate credential.

## Before you begin

1. A self-signed or CA-issued certificate is required, created using the PowerShell script outlined in [Setting up an Azure AD app for app-only access](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/security-apponly-azuread#setting-up-an-azure-ad-app-for-app-only-access). The script generates two files: a .PFX file and a .CER file.  
   Note:  
   Confirm that you're aware of the password used to encrypt the private key to generate the .PFX and .CER files.
2. A Java Key Store (JKS) file created from the .PFX file is required.  
   Note:  
   Confirm that you're aware of the password used to generate the JKS file from the .PFX file.

{#use-certificate-auth-msim__ol_b23_wsc_w2c}

Role required: admin

## Procedure

1. Navigate to App registrations in Azure AD portal.
2. Select Certificates \& secrets from the Manage section.
3. In the Certificates tab, click Upload Certificate.
4. On the form, fill these values.  
   {#use-certificate-auth-msim__table_lxy_jbx_dsb__entry__2}

   | Field | Description |
   |-|-|
   | Upload a certificate (public key) with one of the following file types: .cer, .pem, .crt | .CER file you had generated using the PowerShell script. |
   | Description | Description of the certificate. |
   [ ]

   {#use-certificate-auth-msim__table_lxy_jbx_dsb}
5. Select Add.  
   The certificate is uploaded and its details are displayed under the Certificates tab.
6. Copy the Thumbprint value of the uploaded certificate.  
   Note:  
   The Thumbprint value is a hexadecimal value.
7. Encode the Thumbprint value to a Base64 value and record the value for later use.  
   Note:  
   You can use a Hexadecimal to Base64 (Hex to Base64) converter tool to encode the Thumbprint value to a Base64 value.

## What to do next

Note:  
The same certificate can be uploaded to a single shared App Registration and used across all three environments.