for more information on Microsoft code signing digital IDs from VeriSign, Inc.
July 2, 1996
Visit http://digitalid.verisign.com:8088/ for more information on Microsoft code signing digital IDs from VeriSign, Inc.
To receive a beta code signing certificate, please apply for a Commercial Software Publisher certificate from VeriSign. At the end of the application process, you will receive a beta Commercial Software Publisher certificate from VeriSign. This beta certificate is free; however, it will expire within 60 days of issue. This beta certificate is also considered a "non-assurance" certificate, in that VeriSign will not conduct full checks to validate the certificate or bill you for it. You can use this certificate to sign your code until you receive a full-assurance certificate.
VeriSign will issue live, "full-assurance" code signing certificates on July 8. You will need this certificate to sign code that you wish to distribute. In the interests of processing your certificate requests in a timely manner, please apply for only one Commercial Software Publisher certificate on July 8.
With your full-assurance commercial certificate, you will need to arrange for a hardware device to secure your signing keys. Examples of hardware devices include PCMCIA cards from Spyrus and the SafeKeyper™ product from BBN.
For more information regarding Microsoft's code signing technology, please go to /intdev/signcode/.