The Idea of Signed Software
How signatures attach identity and integrity evidence to a package without becoming a quality certificate.
Signing binds content to a key
A signature is produced over defined content and can be checked against a certificate chain. The check is meaningful only for the content and trust policy in scope; it is not a general endorsement of all software from a publisher.
Catalogs suit packages
Driver packages often contain multiple files. A catalog can associate those files with a signed integrity record, allowing package verification to cover a set of contents rather than one executable in isolation.
Policy interprets the evidence
The host environment decides which certificate chains, algorithms, timestamps, and signing forms satisfy its installation policy. That policy context is part of the story, alongside the raw presence of a signature.
Keep claims bounded
A reference can say that a package has a signature or that its catalog identifies a publisher. It should not turn that fact into a promise about compatibility, privacy, performance, or future support.
Reference facts
- Signature role
- Evidence connecting specified content to a certificate identity and integrity check.
- Boundary
- Signing is not a substitute for compatibility or functional review.
Questions and answers
Why sign a catalog rather than every file?
A catalog provides a signed association for a package’s file set. The platform can then evaluate package contents as a related unit.
Can a valid signature expire?
Certificate validity, timestamping, revocation policy, and platform rules can affect how trust evidence is interpreted. “Signed” is not a timeless status detached from policy.