Code signing is a security measure used to ensure that software has not been tampered with. The developer signs the program with a cryptographic hash and private key, and the user verifies the signature using a public key. However, code signing can be bypassed by sophisticated hackers, and downloading programs from untrusted sources can still pose a risk.
Hackers often take software, offline or online, rearrange and modify the code to make it malicious, then upload it online for users to download the free program and the malicious code it contains. To ensure that users do not run into this problem, code signing is used. Code signing is a method by which the original programmer or the company that created the program signs the program and, when the program is installed, is authenticated to ensure that no coding has been added or changed to the program. This does not require any special software from the user and the user is able to verify the identity of the programmer. While this is intended as a form of security, a hacker who creates a program or discovers a signature can create artificial and misplaced trust.
The programs are constantly sold both online and offline. When someone purchases a program offline from a trusted vendor or reseller, the user has very little reason to worry about hackers injecting malicious code into the program. This is because unless the developer of the software intentionally created a malicious program, there is no way for someone to tamper with the software and make it malicious. When a user downloads a program from the Internet, there is no such guarantee.
To protect users who purchase or download programs online, code signing is implemented. Code signing is divided into two parts: the developer and the end user. The developer uses a cryptographic hash, a one-way operation that masks the program code and then combines their private key with the hash. This creates a signature which is implanted into the program.
When the user receives the program, the second part of the code signing process occurs. The program examines the certificate and a public key that the programmer entered into the program. Using the public key, the program is able to hash the same on the current programming, then check the original against the current installed version. If both the installed program and the original sync, this shows the user that nothing has changed. This process runs automatically, and the programs needed for this authentication should be pre-installed on your computer’s operating system (OS).
While code signing is a powerful method of ensuring security, it has flaws. If the user is downloading a program from a hacker, authentication will show that the original program is intact. This would lead a user to a false sense of security; the program is made to be malicious, so security is not achieved in this regard. More sophisticated hackers can also bypass the hash to inject code, rendering code signing useless.
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