This certificate allows you to protect your code with one of the most trusted brands in web security. Because of the brand recognition, your customers will instantly be able to verify that your software is safe for download. This certificate works virtually on all platforms and applications and ensures that your code cannot be maliciously modified without immediate detection.

Why Use Code Signing Certificate

Protect your code from Hackers, system generate warning if code is tempered . Hackers can easily edit your code and compilations by injecting bed code in your application, it could be virus, malware, fishingware, trojan or something like this which finally target the client computer as a result security of user is compromised. If you sign your code or compilations with this certificate then client can identify your signatures and trust your copy of compilation. Such application distribution copy can be installed by client without any warning from system and client can easily trust the original signed copy.

Authentication

This is the organisation validated code signing certificate and you have to provide company related documentation and some other formalities to make sure that your organisation is genuine and legally working or running. Thawte claim that this process take only 1-3 days but you should remember that it is organisation validated certificate and there may be more delay in process of authentication. therefore we suggest you to order enough in advance so you have some extra days to manage delays. It is recommended to follow SSL Critical date of renew for renewal purpose.

Time Stamp Validity

Thawte timestamp services allow you to timestamp your signed code. The code Stamped with a valid certificate will work forever because the stamping not expire even the certificate expire after some time. A hash of your code is sent to the timestamp server which record a timestamp for your code. Client’s software can identify difference between code signed with an expired certificate and code that was signed with a Certificate that was valid at the time the code was signed but which has subsequently expired.

You should also specify the timestamp server url when you sign your software code. Thawte provides you with both type of encryption a SHA-1 and SHA-256 RFC 3161 timestamping URLs.

The timestamp server validates the date and the time that the file was signed therefore the certificate can expire but the signature will be valid for as long as the file is in production. A new certificate is only necessary if you want to sign additional code or re-sign code that has been modified.

To verify if your file has been timestamped, you can use the verifying commands provided in our knowledge base articles. The date and time will be displayed when the file has been timestamped. No dates or a warning will appear when the file has NOT been timestamped.

Safety and Compatibility

This certificate digitally signs code with 32-bit or 64-bit portable executable including .cab, .exe, .dll, .csx, and kernel mode software. Additionally, the Thawte Code Signing certificate creates digital signatures using a public-key algorithm like the RSA public-key cipher.

Warranty

Thawte Code Signing Certificate does not comes with any kind of warranty, even not the return guaranty provided for this certificate.

System Support

Support wide range of systems:

Browser	MS Authenticode	MS Office and VBA	Java	Adobe AIR	Apple MAC
Firefox	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Internet Explorer	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Chrome	No	No	Yes	Yes	No

Supported Operating Systems and Browser version

Operating System	IE10	IE 11	Firefox	Chrome (Java Code Signing)	Edge (No CertGen)
Windows XP	No	No	No	No	No
Windows Vista	No	No	No	No	No
Windows 7	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 8	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 8.1	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 10	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
MAC	No	No	Yes (Apple Code Signing)	No	No

IE 8, IE 9, and Safari are not supported. For code signing certificate installation instructions, refer to SO26639.