Why Code Signing Certificates Are Essential for Software Developers and Vendors

Modern software development is complex with continuous code development, deployment, and updates. As a software developer or vendor, you don’t want your code to be a security nightmare. Especially if a user tries installing software and gets hit with a pop-up, “Publisher Unknown. Do you want to proceed?”

The warning message doesn’t necessarily mean that your code is malicious, but what it does mean is that it lacks digital trust.

And this is where a code signing certificate can help. It is a digital certificate that allows software developers and vendors to digitally sign applications, scripts, executables, and drivers. It develops trust in users that the software they are installing is authentic and has not been tampered with.

This post covers what are code signing certificates, why they matter, where they’re used, and how to manage them properly, not just from a security perspective, but from a business one too.

What is a Code Signing Certificate?

A code signing certificate is a digital ID or certificate that is used to authenticate the integrity of software and other executable code. It is a digital signature that helps users ensure the software they download and install is authentic.

Code signing certificates are issued by a certificate authority (CA). Such a certificate can include information on the software developer, the business entity that built it, or the vendor.  It is also known as a software publisher certificate and serves as a digital credential that verifies the publisher’s identity and helps establish the legitimacy of the software.

Developers and vendors can choose from two types of code signing certificates:

• Organization Validation (OV) Code Signing Certificate
• Extended Validation (EV) Code Signing Certificate

Why Code Signing Matters

Code signing is important for everyone who develops and distributes software today. It helps guarantee the safety and integrity of the software, which is critical as the number of attacks on supply chain is increasing every day. With code signing you might not stop these attacks, but it prevents tampered code from being trusted and allows users a convenient installation process, as with this you don’t see any security warnings.

Trust is also a factor of interest for businesses. Those users who may have to install software are less likely to install the software that appears suspicious. Regulated industries, such as finance and healthcare, are also governed by laws that require code signing to achieve regulatory compliance and mitigate legal and financial risks.

How does a Code Signing Certificate work?

Code signing process is built on public key cryptography, and it’s a combination of identity verification, hashing and creating a digital signature.

Software developers request a code signing certificate from a CA through a vetting and authentication process. Once issued, developers can use these certificates to digitally sign their software.

Before code signing the software, developers need to generate a public/private key pair. Developers secure the private key, and the public key is shared with the users through a certificate.

The next step is to execute the hashing process. Software code is run through a hash function. It generates a fixed-length hash value representing the code’s contents. Developers then encrypt the hash value with their private key, creating a digital signature.

The digital signature is then signed together with the certificate and a trusted timestamp and attached to the software code. This results in signed code that can be verified by users and operating systems.

Common Use Cases of Code Signing for Software Developers and Vendors

Code signing is extremely important in enabling software developers and vendors to create trust, prevent tampering and allow smooth distribution across the platforms. Here are some of the key use cases for code signing certificates which directly supports secure and reliable software delivery.

Desktop Applications (Windows, macOS)

In the case of desktop software, code signing is essential to gain the trust of the final customers. In Windows and macOS, unsigned applications raise security warnings or can be blocked automatically by default settings. Such warnings discourage the users, affecting the adoption levels.

The valid digital signature on a software will assure the operator and the user that it has not been tampered with since it was signed. This will give a trouble-free installation without any security errors.

Mobile Applications (iOS, Android)

Code signing is compulsory for a mobile platform. The Apple App Store and the Google Play Store encourage strict signing of applications before they are published. Signing will authenticate the legitimacy of the developer and will protect users against unauthorized or suspicious software.

Due to this, without valid certificates, developers will not be able to distribute apps on such platforms, and hence signing is a basic yet important procedure in the mobile app lifecycle.

Drivers and Firmware

Drivers and firmware run at the lowest levels of a device, and interface directly with the operating system and hardware. This increases their vulnerability to attackers who would like to take control of a system. Code signing will make them trusted and unmodified.

For example, Windows will object to loading unsigned drivers, and this is a hard trust chain. Firmware updates that are signed with firmware can also provide the user with confidence that there is no tampering in critical updates at the device level.

Scripts and Macros (PowerShell, VBA)

Scripts and macros are an essential part of automation and productivity in an enterprise setting. But they are also the frequent attack methods where malware is installed, particularly in phishing attacks, where macros on Office files are used in abusive ways.

These scripts can be signed with trusted code signing certificates, enabling the IT teams to implement execution policies where unsigned and unverified code is blocked. In this way, businesses can afford the combination of automation and effective security, unlike other methods, where only valid, condoned scripts execute inside corporate environments.

Updates in CI/CD Pipelines

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) are one of the major concepts in modern development processes, that makes regular production and updates efficient. Using code signing for these pipelines helps confirm that all the builds, patches, or updates are authentic before reaching to the end user.

Organizations can build signing directly in tools such as Jenkins, Azure DevOps, or GitHub Actions, creating a chain of trust with automation. This blocks unverified or malicious builds and increases confidence in every release.

Best Practices for Code Signing Certificates

Here are some of the best practices to follow for the code signing certification process.

Secure Private Key Management

Keeping your private keys secure is crucial, as it’s the most sensitive asset in the code signing process. There are several ways to keep your private key secure like storing it in Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), on trusted cloud key vaults (AWS KMS or Azure Key Vault) or by using hardware tokens like YubiKey. All of these are safe and help prevent unauthorized access.

Role-based access control assures that only authorized people can perform signing operations. Without these security measures a private key could be lost and used to spread malicious software under organization’s name.

Automating Code Signing

Frequent release cycles make manual code signing impractical. Automating code signing process helps developers by saving time, reducing human error, and guaranteeing consistency across builds.

Anyone can implement automation easily using common platforms like Jenkins, Azure DevOps, and GitHub Actions. By enabling automation in CI/CD pipeline, every release can be signed reliably without slowing down the development cycle.

Regular Certificate Rotation & Inventory

Expired or untracked certificates can create issues for the end user. To prevent the problem, organizations need to adopt a regular certificate rotation procedure before expiration and have a clear inventory of any active and retired certificate. This strategy mitigates the possibility of orphaned certificates being forgotten and maintains software trust.

Timestamping Signatures

Timestamping is an essential best practice that preserves trust over time. By applying a trusted timestamp at the moment of signing, software signatures remain valid even after the original certificate expires. Without timestamping, older releases could suddenly appear untrusted, leading to user friction and potential brand damage.

Best Code Signing Certificates for Developers & Vendors

All certificates do not guarantee an equivalent degree of assurance. Most of the use cases, such as desktop software, mobile applications, and scripts, can be done with regular code signing certificates. In cases of a more demanding security need, like Windows kernel drivers, it is best suited to opt for an  Extended Validation (EV) Code Signing certificate. To assist you in choosing the certificate that best fits your use case, here is a reference based on typical developer needs and platform requirements.

Recommended Certificate	Validation Type	Starting Price
Comodo Code Signing Certificate	Organization Validation	$226.67/yr
Sectigo Code Signing Certificate	Organization Validation	$226.67/yr
DigiCert Code Signing Certificate	Organization Validation	$369.67/yr
Comodo EV Code Signing Certificate	Extended Validation	$298.00/yr
Sectigo EV Code Signing Certificate	Extended Validation	$298.00/yr
DigiCert EV Code Signing Certificate	Extended Validation	$515.00/yr

The identity of the publisher of the EV certificates must be more vetted, giving the user and operating systems less to worry about. Paying attention to maximum OS and platform coverage as a Certificate Authority (CA) validates maximum end-user installation. In addition to compatibility, consider the validation process of the CA, quality of support, and reliability in the long term.

Although one might be tempted to use the cheapest code signing certificates, it is important to know that the stability and reliability of the CA would have a direct bearing on the perception of your software. To spend money on the proper CA is to spend money towards your reputation and user confidence.

Final Thoughts

Code signing has shifted from a minimum requirement to a known as a best practice. To developers, it creates software integrity, for a vendors it creates user trust, compliance, and reduces risk. To an end user, it creates the assurance to make the installation without worries.

As software continues to power every part of our lives, trust has become the real currency. A Code Signing Certificate is how developers and vendors earn it. Begin securing that trust today with CheapSSLShop.