Cable Modem Authentication Services

Digital certificates embedded into hardware devices enable cable service providers to authenticate remote devices before allowing access to networks and services.

Root Certificate Signing

The DOCSIS and PacketCable specifications from Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. (CableLabs) call for embedding certificates in devices at the time of manufacture to serve as counterfeit-proof serial numbers. The manufacturer certification authority (CA) or code verification certificate must be signed under the proper root CA. To have a manufacturer's certificate signed under the DOCSIS or PacketCable roots, download the detailed procedure or follow these steps:

1. Call VeriSign at 650-426-5310.
2. Complete the Manufacturer Identification Form and the Certificate Signing Request Form.
3. Generate the PKCS 10 certificate signing request for your certificate(s) and email to cablelabsCAservices@verisign.com.
4. VeriSign will return your certificates via email.

VeriSign issues certificates on the second Wednesday of every month. All documents must be completed and sent to VeriSign 14 calendar days prior to that date. VeriSign will only sign certificates for those companies authorized by CableLabs to receive certificates.

Root Certificate Download

The DOCSIS and PacketCable root certification authority (CA) certificates are for any manufacturer who is developing products or services that need to verify the authenticity of certificates. Embedding the root in the product or service enables applications to verify the validity of any DOCSIS or PacketCable-affiliated certificates by checking that they chain properly to the respective roots.

Download the DOCSIS Root CA Certificate

• IE users
• Netscape users

For added security, DOCSIS Root CA Information includes fingerprints which can be calculated with a PKI or Crypto toolkit or by using the certificate viewing utility of Microsoft® Internet Explorer.

Download the PacketCable Root CA Certificate

• IE users
• Netscape users

For added security, PacketCable Root CA Information includes fingerprints which can be calculated with a PKI or Crypto toolkit or by using the certificate viewing utility of Microsoft® Internet Explorer.