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Code signing certificates from a trusted certificate provider allow developers to digitally sign their software so that customers know the code has not been altered or hacked when they download it. When customers buy software in a store, the source of that software is obvious. Customers can tell who published the software, and they can see whether the package has been opened. These factors enable customers to make decisions about what software to purchase and how much to “trust” those products.
Customers who download digitally signed Active X controls, dynamic link libraries, .cab files or HTML content from your site can be confident that code really comes from you and hasn’t been altered or corrupted since it was created and signed. A Digital ID (Code Signing Certificate) serves as virtual “shrinkwrap” for your software. After you sign your code with a software signing certificate, if it is tampered with in any way, the digital signature will break and alert customers that the code is not trustworthy.
The solution to these issues is Microsoft’s Authenticode technology coupled with Digital IDs from Comodo. When customers download software signed with a Code Signing Certificate issued by Comodo Certificate Authority, they can be assured of:
- Content Source: End users can confirm that the software really comes from the publisher who signed it.
- Content Integrity: End users can verify that the software has not been altered or corrupted since it was signed.
Who Needs a Code Signing Digital ID?
Any software publisher planning to distribute code or content over the Internet or through an extranet risks impersonation and tampering. Comodo Code Signing Digital IDs for Microsoft Authenticode protect against these hazards. Comodo, a trusted certificates provider, offers Digital IDs designed for commercial software developers, companies and other organizations that publish software. This class of Digital ID provides assurance regarding an organization’s identity and legitimacy, much like a business license, and is designed to represent the level of assurance provided today by retail channels for software.
Signed Authenticode certificates from Comodo help software developers to sign java applets, msi, vba, .net, jce, j2me, Powershell scripts, Silverlight, Adobe Air, visual C++ and Visual Studio 2008/2010/2012 applications.
Features & Benefits of Code Signing Digital ID
CUSTOMER CONFIDENCE: They protect and reassure your customers by assuring them that the integrity of the code they download from your site is intact – that it has not been tampered with or altered in transit.
AUTHENTICITY: After downloading, end users can be sure that the code they obtained really came from you, helping you preserve your business reputation and intellectual property. Digital ID’s allow customers to identify the author of digitally signed code and contact them should an issue or query arise.
INTEGRATION WITH INDUSTRY STANDARD TECHNOLOGY: Most browsers will not accept action commands from downloaded code unless the code is signed by a certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority, such as Comodo.
How does Authenticode work with Comodo Digital IDs?
Authenticode relies on industry standard cryptography techniques such as X.509 v3 certificates and PKCS #7 and #10 signature standards. These are well-proven cryptography protocols, which ensure a robust implementation of code signing technology. A certificate for Microsoft Authenticode uses a digital signature to assure users of the origin and integrity of software. In a digital signature, the private key generates the signature, and the corresponding public key validates it.
To save time, the Authenticode protocols use a cryptographic digest, which is a one-way hash of the document.
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