Future Trends in Enterprise Code Signing. What to Watch for?

Published: August 2023 | Updated: August 2026

Code signing is a crucial step in today’s zero-trust world in preserving the integrity of infrastructure and software. When done correctly, code signing guarantees that only the appropriate individuals and resources have access to sign code, and that signature allows users and devices to decide which software to trust, and which not to trust.

Naturally, implementing the proper code signing methods to achieve the desired end state is easier said than done, as is the case with everything in the security industry. To safeguard against breaches and supply chain threats, doing it right remains a top security priority, and the practice keeps evolving. Here’s what’s actually changed since this article was first written, and what to watch for next.

What is Enterprise Code Signing?

The method of “code signing” involves digitally signing executables and scripts (whether they be pieces of software or firmware) to verify the software’s authorship. Code signing makes use of cryptographic hashing to confirm the validity and guarantee the integrity of the code by confirming it hasn’t been altered after being published.

Simply expressed, we sign the code because we do not want to take the chance that it will be maliciously damaged. Software is incredibly important to us. Software integrity is therefore one of our key concerns. A damaged or “cracked” program can lead to:

• Losses in funds
• Human casualties
• Uncertainty in politics
• Reputational damage
• Other major catastrophes

What is an Enterprise Code Signing Certificate?

A Code Signing Certificate is a digital certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority and contains information that completely identifies a business. A public key is mathematically tied to a private key and is bound to an organization’s identity by a digital certificate. The phrase “public key infrastructure” (PKI) refers to the use of both private and public key systems. The end user uses the developer’s public key to confirm the developer’s identity once the developer signs the code with its private key.

The digital certificate is designated for the particular use of code that has been digitally signed; in PKI, this is known as key use. A timestamp is added when a digital signature is used. The signed code is guaranteed to be valid long after the digital certificate expires thanks to this time-stamping function. Even if the digital certificate used to sign the code initially expires, a new signature is not required unless you are adding more code or making modifications to the existing code.

Examples of Code Signing

• Under MS Windows: You can only run signed PowerShell scripts, load signed libraries, and run signed programs via software restriction rules. Code that is not signed will never execute.
• On mobile devices: As a rule, all software must be signed.
• OS Drivers: All are signed on every platform.
• Java Virtual Machine: Code signature checking can be made mandatory; for example, applets must be signed.
• Open-source archives and packages: Code signing provides the authenticity, integrity, and security demanded of software distributed within the open-source community.
• POS terminals and other extremely secure devices: Only code that has been signed is allowed to run.
• Medical and avionic device software is signed.

On an industrial or vital scale, there are various application scenarios where code signing plays a crucial role, including e-Government, e-Banking, Internet of Things (IoT) manufacturing, and power plants.

Different Types of Code Signing Certificates

For public trust usage, code signing certificates are available as Organization Validation (OV), or Standard Certificates, and Extended Validation (EV) Certificates.

Extended Validation (EV) Code Signing Certificates

They come with all the benefits of digitally signed code in addition to a stringent vetting procedure, boosting adoption and trust. As a result, your users can have even more faith in the reliability of your applications.

Benefits of an EV code signing certificate:

• Two-factor authentication: EV certificates ship with a hardware-protected private key by default, adding an authentication factor beyond the certificate itself.
• Time-sensitive signing: Your signature will continue to be valid even after the original EV code signing certificate used to sign it has expired, by including an optional timestamp. Without a timestamp, your signature expires along with the certificate, necessitating a new code signature.
• SmartScreen for Microsoft Defender: Automatically achieve trusted status on the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen® Reputation filter, which reduces warnings while boosting brand reputation and user trust.
• Platform compatibility across all types: Your certificate does not have to be reissued to sign code for a different platform (such as Authenticode, Kernel Mode, etc.).

Organization Validation (OV) Code Signing Certificate

Organizations like software publishing businesses who want to sign their software applications with an organization’s certified identity should use an OV Code Signing Certificate. Teams who sign using a common organizational identification benefit the most from using the OV code signing certificate.

Organization Authentication is the first prerequisite to obtaining an Organization Validated Code Signing certificate. Here, the Certificate Authority (CA) makes an effort to confirm that your company is a real, existing business with legal standing in the location where it has registered.

What exactly is Organizational Authentication?

It is true what it says when it comes to the Organization Authentication requirement: the CA will confirm that your organization is a duly registered corporation. If your records are up to date, there shouldn’t be any issues. However, bear in mind that you will need to make sure that all of your registration information is accurate if your firm utilizes any trade names, assumed names, or DBAs.

Usually, the CA will be able to confirm this using an online government database. Don’t panic if the CA is unable to access one, either because yours lacks current records or doesn’t provide one at all; there are alternative ways to meet these criteria:

• Official Registration Documents: The CA can also accept official business documents that prove your organization is a legitimate legal entity.
• Dun & Bradstreet: Dun & Bradstreet is a company that provides financial reports on other organizations.
• Legal Opinion Letter: A document wherein an attorney or accountant essentially vouches for the authenticity of your organization.

OV vs. EV Code Signing Certificates: A Side-by-Side Comparison

One thing has changed since OV and EV certificates were first compared: since June 1, 2023, the CA/Browser Forum’s updated Code Signing Baseline Requirements mandate hardware-protected, non-exportable private keys (FIPS 140-2 Level 2 or Common Criteria EAL 4+) for both OV and EV code signing certificates, not just EV. The table below reflects that current baseline.

Criteria	OV Code Signing	EV Code Signing
Identity verification	Organization authentication (registration, DBA checks)	Extended vetting: legal, physical, and operational existence checks
Private key storage (since June 2023)	Mandatory hardware crypto module (HSM or token)	Mandatory hardware crypto module (HSM or token)
SmartScreen reputation	Builds gradually through download volume over time	Immediate trusted status
Typical issuance time	Faster; standard business verification	Slower; more extensive vetting
Best for	Internal tools, smaller ISVs, teams signing under one org identity	Widely distributed consumer software, driver signing, high-trust releases

Policies And Standards Applicable to Code Signing

Guidelines and processes for the issuing and use of code-signing keys, including those on topics like these, are a part of effective code-signing policies.

• Key Issuance: Set rules and guidelines for who can issue keys and when while developing management protocols. Control the characteristics that go along with the different key types that are issued, preventing the issuance of new keys that use vulnerable algorithms.
• Key Management: Configure user roles’ controls and protocols. Who controls the keys? What roles exist within teams, organizations, and different production stages, and how are they divided up in terms of key management? Location tracking for all keys across the company should be part of these procedures.
• Key Storage: Protecting keys is necessary. Set up restrictions and protocols for both active and inactive key storage. HSMs, tokens, and multi-factor authentication-enabled key access should all be part of this.
• Signing Permissions: Members of the team should be aware of who is authorized to sign and the proper occasions, and how to request signing if it is not their responsibility to do so.
• Key Usage: Correct signature techniques depend critically on how keys are used, or not used. Keys must be used by the appropriate parties at the appropriate times.
• Preventing Key Sharing: Even within the team’s internal servers, networks, and systems, team members shouldn’t exchange keys. Keys should be issued, managed, and kept in a unique manner for each person’s role.
• Continuous Signing: Never consider code and software signing to be a laborious compliance process or an afterthought. Continuous Signing (CS) should be part of every CI/CD workflow to ensure code security is applied correctly and consistently.

How Code Signing Works?

1. Select Your Preferred Code Signing Certificate: Do you wish to permanently remove the “unknown publisher” warning from Windows Defender SmartScreen? Select an EV code signing certificate. Looking for a less expensive option? Use an OV code signing certificate instead. For OV certificates, trust must be earned over time organically, as opposed to being granted immediately as it is with EV certificates.
2. Generate a Private-Public Key Pair: Since asymmetric encryption is the foundation of code signing, you’ll need a public and private key pair, generated inside the hardware crypto module required by current CA/Browser Forum rules rather than in software.
3. Hash your Code and Encrypt It: Your code is passed through a one-way hash function. A predefined alphanumeric digest is generated as output and encrypted with your private key. Everyone will have access to the code in this case, but they cannot alter it undetected.
4. Add a Time Stamp: As long as the certificate was valid when the code was signed, the software will continue to be acknowledged as authentic, which helps you avoid error messages when your certificate ultimately expires.
5. Sign your Software: Combine the digest, the code signing certificate, and the hash function, and include the newly formed signature block in your executable or code.

Code Signing Tools

Despite having different uses, code signing tools function similarly to document signing tools. A document signing tool (like DocuSign) makes use of digital signatures to confirm that all parties to a document have accepted its terms and that the document hasn’t been changed since. Using digital signatures, a code signing tool can demonstrate that software was indeed written by the claimed developer and hasn’t been changed subsequently.

Use cases for Code Signing Tool

• Code Signature: A code signature verifies that a piece of software was written by the person who claims to be its creator, aiding in guarding against malware that impersonates legitimate software.
• Software Integrity Validation: The signed data must not have been changed since the digital signature was generated for the transaction to be legitimate.
• Defending Against Supply Chain Attacks: Supply chain attacks like SolarWinds use the modification of legitimate code to include malware. Code signatures make these attacks more challenging to carry out because the attacker must have their malicious code signed to be believed.

These benefits must, however, be applicable for the code signing procedure to be secure. If an attacker is able to get signing keys or convince a company to sign their malicious code, the malicious code will appear legitimate to users, which is exactly the pressure driving the trends in the next section.

Where Code Signing Is Headed: Real Trends for 2026 and Beyond

The fundamentals above haven’t changed, but the pressure to get them right has intensified. Four developments are actually reshaping how enterprises sign code today.

Hardware-Backed Keys Are Now Mandatory, Not Optional

Since June 1, 2023, the CA/Browser Forum’s updated Code Signing Baseline Requirements have required both OV and EV code signing certificate private keys to be generated and stored in a hardware crypto module certified to FIPS 140-2 Level 2 or Common Criteria EAL 4+, with the key non-exportable. What was once an EV-only differentiator is now the floor for every publicly trusted code signing certificate, whether that’s a physical USB token or a networked HSM.

Supply Chain Attacks Are Making Signing and Provenance Non-Negotiable

The threat model behind that hardware requirement isn’t theoretical. Sonatype’s 2026 State of the Software Supply Chain Report identified more than 454,600 new malicious open source packages in 2025, a 75% year-over-year increase (press release published January 28, 2026). Third-party involvement in breaches also doubled from 15% to 30% in a single year, the largest single-year shift ever recorded in the Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report. When a compromise does happen, it’s expensive: a supply chain breach now costs $4.91 million on average and takes 267 days to identify and contain, the longest lifecycle of any breach vector tracked in IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report. Signed, provenance-tracked builds are one of the few controls that directly counters this trend.

Post-Quantum Signatures Are Coming for Code Signing Keys

Code signing certificates today are built on RSA or ECDSA, both of which Shor’s Algorithm can break once a sufficiently powerful quantum computer exists. NIST has already finalized ML-DSA (FIPS 204) as the primary post-quantum digital signature standard, with SLH-DSA (FIPS 205) as a backup and FN-DSA (FIPS 206, based on FALCON) still in progress. Signed artifacts, unlike a single TLS session, often need to remain verifiable for years, which makes code signing one of the more urgent corners of the post-quantum cryptography migration conversation rather than a distant one. Before that migration can be planned, organizations need an accurate cryptographic inventory of exactly which signing keys, algorithms, and certificates are in use across their build pipelines.

SLSA and Build Provenance Are Becoming the New Baseline

A valid signature proves who signed an artifact; it doesn’t by itself prove how that artifact was built. The Supply-chain Levels for Software Artifacts (SLSA) framework addresses that gap by requiring verifiable build provenance, tamper-resistant build systems, and source integrity alongside the signature itself. Enterprises pursuing SLSA Level 3 typically pair it with the same hardware-backed signing keys the CA/Browser Forum now mandates, since a stronger provenance chain is only as trustworthy as the key that signs it.

CodeSign Secure: The ultimate Code Signing tool that you need!

Encryption Consulting offers you the best code signing tool out there. CodeSign Secure, one of the most efficient and user-friendly code-signing solutions available, provides different kinds of signing for your different use cases.

• Windows Signing
• Jar Signer
• Open SSL Signing

We offer the above-mentioned features under a single roof with our KSP command-line tool, which automatically detects the file extension and proceeds with the appropriate signing method. Just by giving a few inputs, KSP returns the signed file in a matter of time, giving you a centralized working space for all your signing needs.

What makes our company distinct from other companies?

• We use CodeSign Secure, which uses client-side hashing, providing an extra layer of security. Hashing a file at its origin helps maintain its integrity and gives the customer a clear view of the file and what comes after signing.
• The file is signed inside an HSM, and the keys are never exposed to the outside world, satisfying the CA/Browser Forum’s hardware key requirements by default.
• Our organization provides Role-based access control for code/file signing, providing correct access and privileges to the user.
• Timestamping your signed code avoids the risk of software expiring unexpectedly when the code signing certificate expires.
• CodeSign Secure uses the latest guidelines and standard norms of code signing, and tracks the cryptographic algorithms in use across every signed artifact as part of preparing for post-quantum signature migration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do OV code signing certificates require a hardware security module now too?

Yes. Since June 1, 2023, the CA/Browser Forum’s Code Signing Baseline Requirements mandate hardware-protected, non-exportable private keys for both OV and EV code signing certificates, not just EV as before.

What’s the real difference between OV and EV code signing certificates today?

With hardware key storage now required for both, the meaningful differences are the depth of identity vetting and SmartScreen reputation: EV certificates get immediate trusted status, while OV certificates build reputation gradually through download volume over time.

Why do supply chain attack statistics matter for code signing specifically?

Sonatype identified over 454,600 new malicious open source packages in 2025 alone, a 75% year-over-year jump, and third-party involvement in breaches doubled to 30% per the Verizon 2025 DBIR. Code signing is one of the few controls that lets downstream users verify an artifact wasn’t tampered with after it left the legitimate publisher.

Will post-quantum cryptography affect existing code signing certificates?

Not immediately, but the RSA and ECDSA algorithms behind today’s code signing certificates are quantum-vulnerable. NIST has finalized ML-DSA (FIPS 204) as the primary replacement signature standard, and organizations with long-lived signed artifacts should start a cryptographic inventory now rather than waiting for a forced migration.

What is SLSA and how does it relate to code signing?

SLSA (Supply-chain Levels for Software Artifacts) is a framework for verifying how software was built, not just who signed it. A signature confirms authorship and integrity at the point of signing; SLSA provenance confirms the build process itself wasn’t tampered with, and the two are increasingly deployed together.

Does CodeSign Secure meet the current CA/Browser Forum hardware key requirements?

Yes. CodeSign Secure signs inside an HSM by default, so private keys never leave hardware during the signing operation, meeting the FIPS 140-2 Level 2 (or higher) requirement the CA/Browser Forum now mandates for all publicly trusted code signing certificates.

Conclusion

Software is used in most parts of daily living and business-critical systems around the globe. Therefore, it is essential that the code executing on these systems can be relied upon. Secure code signing has become imperative as applications containing sensitive data, business transactions, or operations involving the safety of human life demand more than pre-packaged signature techniques. Hardware-backed keys are now mandatory rather than a premium feature, supply chain attacks are climbing every measurable statistic, and post-quantum signature algorithms are already finalized even if adoption is still early.

Our code signing tool, CodeSign Secure, offers a simple and efficient way to sign your code and protect your software, making sure that it complies with current CA/Browser Forum standards today and is positioned for the cryptographic transitions coming next. It is user-friendly and convenient to use, helping you increase user trust, defend against malware and online attacks, and protect your reputation as a developer.