Package com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2

Class CodeSign

java.lang.Object
com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.ChilkatObject
com.chilkatsoft.chilkat2.CodeSign
All Implemented Interfaces:
AutoCloseable
public class CodeSign extends ChilkatObject
<section class="codesign-summary">

Sign, verify, inspect, and remove Authenticode signatures on Windows executables, installers, and scripts.

Chilkat.CodeSign works directly with Authenticode signatures on Windows executable files such as .exe and .dll, and, starting in v11.7.0, on Windows Installer packages (.msi), PowerShell files (.ps1, .psm1, .psd1), and VBScript files (.vbs). It provides functionality for applying a code-signing signature, validating whether a signed executable can be trusted, extracting signature information, retrieving the signer certificate, and removing an existing signature.

Sign executables, installers, and scripts

Apply Authenticode signatures to EXE, DLL, MSI, PowerShell, and VBScript files using a certificate and associated private key.

Validate trust

Check whether a signed executable has a valid signature and whether the signing certificate chain can be trusted.

Inspect signatures

Extract details about the Authenticode signature, including signer information and signature-related metadata.

Retrieve signer certificates

Get the certificate used to sign the executable and inspect it with Chilkat.Cert.

Remove signatures

Remove an existing Authenticode signature from a signed file when an unsigned output file is required.

Diagnostics

Use detailed diagnostic output to troubleshoot signing, certificate, trust-chain, timestamping, or validation problems.

Common pattern: Load or provide a code-signing certificate that has access to its private key, sign the target file, optionally add timestamping if supported by the signing workflow, then verify the resulting signature and inspect diagnostics if validation does not succeed.

For an extended overview, see CodeSign Class Overview.

</section>

Event-capable: long-running methods report progress through a ProgressListener installed with setProgressListener(ProgressListener), onAbortCheck(BooleanSupplier), onPercentDone(IntPredicate) or onProgressInfo(BiConsumer).

Available on Windows only: the constructor throws UnsupportedOperationException elsewhere.

Instances hold a native Chilkat object: close them with ChilkatObject.close() (try-with-resources) when done; an unclosed instance is freed when it becomes unreachable.

See Also:
Online reference

  • Constructor Details

    • CodeSign

      public CodeSign()
      Creates a new CodeSign object.

  • Method Details

    • getHeartbeatMs

      public int getHeartbeatMs()
      Specifies the approximate interval, in milliseconds, between AbortCheck event callbacks during supported operations. An event handler can request that the current operation be aborted.

      The default is 0, which disables AbortCheck callbacks. Setting a positive value enables periodic callbacks when an operation is sufficiently long-running; methods that finish quickly may complete without generating one.

      Callback interval: The interval is a scheduling target rather than a real-time guarantee. Callback timing can vary while waiting for private-key hardware, a timestamp authority, certificate-chain processing, or other operating-system services.

      Returns:
      the value of the HeartbeatMs property

    • setHeartbeatMs

      public void setHeartbeatMs​(int value)
      Sets the HeartbeatMs property; see getHeartbeatMs().
      Parameters:
      value - the new value

    • getUncommonOptions

      public String getUncommonOptions()
      Provides a comma-separated list of specialized compatibility or validation options. The default is an empty string, which is appropriate for normal use.

      Option Effect

      codesign-allow-expired-cert Prevents Authenticode verification from failing solely because the signing certificate is expired.

      codesign-allow-cert-padding Starting in v11.7.0. Prevents verification of an EXE or DLL from failing solely because the PE certificate table fails the strict check (extra data or entries outside the verified signature). The failed check is still reported in LastErrorText. Use only for files known to carry such data, such as some installers that store configuration data in the certificate table.

      Use only for an explicit trust policy: Each option relaxes only the one check it names; neither disables the file-integrity, signature, chain, or other validation checks. codesign-allow-expired-cert is not a substitute for timestamping. A signature carrying a valid trusted timestamp should ordinarily remain verifiable after the signing certificate expires without this option.

      Returns:
      the value of the UncommonOptions property

    • setUncommonOptions

      public void setUncommonOptions​(String value)
      Sets the UncommonOptions property; see getUncommonOptions().
      Parameters:
      value - the new value (not null)

    • addSignature

      public void addSignature​(String path, Cert cert, JsonObject options)
      Adds a Microsoft Authenticode signature to the file specified by path. The file is modified in place. cert supplies the code-signing certificate and must provide access to its associated private key. options supplies the signing configuration as JSON.

      Starting in v11.7.0, Windows Installer packages, PowerShell files, and VBScript files can be signed in addition to Windows executables and DLLs. The supported file types are:

      File type Extensions Where the signature is stored

      Windows PE images .exe, .dll, and other PE files such as .sys and .ocx The PE certificate table. PE files are identified from the file content, not the extension.

      Windows Installer packages (starting in v11.7.0) .msi The package's digital signature stream.

      PowerShell scripts, modules, and data files (starting in v11.7.0) .ps1, .psm1, .psd1 A comment block appended to the file (# SIG # Begin signature block ... # SIG # End signature block). The file's text encoding (UTF-8, UTF-8 with BOM, or UTF-16) is kept.

      VBScript files (starting in v11.7.0) .vbs A comment block appended to the file ('' SIG '' Begin signature block ... '' SIG '' End signature block).

      Any other file type (for example .js, .cab, or .cat) causes the method to return false, with LastErrorText explaining that the file type is not supported, and the file is not modified. The file must already exist; this method does not create it.

      Starting in v11.7.0, if the file is already Authenticode-signed, the existing signature is removed and replaced by the new one. (Before v11.7.0, signing an already-signed EXE or DLL added a second signature entry instead of replacing the first.)

      MSI packages and ECDSA certificates: Windows does not accept an Authenticode signature on an MSI package when the signing certificate uses an ECDSA key. Windows signature checks, such as signtool verify, Get-AuthenticodeSignature, and the file's Digital Signatures properties, report the signature as invalid (TRUST_E_BAD_DIGEST, 0x80096010). This is a limitation of signed MSI files on Windows, not a Chilkat defect: an MSI signed by Microsoft's signtool with the same ECDSA certificate is rejected in the same way, and its signed content is identical to the signature Chilkat produces. Use an RSA code-signing certificate to sign MSI packages. ECDSA certificates work for EXE, DLL, PowerShell, and VBScript files.

      Common options options include:

      JSON member Purpose

      hashAlg Selects the file-digest algorithm, such as sha256.

      timestampToken.enabled Enables an RFC 3161 timestamp token.

      timestampToken.tsaUrl Specifies the timestamp authority URL.

      timestampToken.requestTsaCert Requests inclusion of the timestamp authority certificate.

      timestampToken.hashAlg Selects the timestamp-request digest algorithm, such as sha256. 

      {
   "hashAlg": "sha256",
   "timestampToken": {
     "enabled": true,
     "tsaUrl": "http://timestamp.example.com",
     "requestTsaCert": true,
     "hashAlg": "sha256"
   }
 }

      Timestamping is strongly recommended: A trusted timestamp records that the signature existed while the code-signing certificate was valid. This normally allows the signature to continue validating after the signing certificate expires, provided the timestamp and certificate chains remain valid under the verifier's trust policy.

      Parameters:
      path - the path argument (not null)
      cert - the cert argument (not null)
      options - the options argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • getSignerCert

      public void getSignerCert​(Cert cert)
      Retrieves the X.509 signer certificate discovered by the most recent call to verifySignature(String, JsonObject) on this CodeSign object. If the certificate is fully available, cert is loaded with it and the method returns true. Otherwise, the method returns false.

      The returned object contains the public certificate only; it does not provide the signer's private key. Call this method after VerifySignature and use the same CodeSign instance.

      Starting in v11.7.0, the signer certificate is available only after a call to VerifySignature that returned true. After a failed verification, this method returns false.

      Certificate retrieval versus trust: Successfully retrieving the signer certificate does not independently validate the signature or establish trust. Use the result of VerifySignature and the returned signature information when making a trust decision.

      Parameters:
      cert - the cert argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • removeSignature

      public void removeSignature​(String path)
      Removes the embedded Authenticode signature from the file specified by path: a Windows executable or DLL, or, starting in v11.7.0, a Windows Installer package (.msi), PowerShell file (.ps1, .psm1, .psd1), or VBScript file (.vbs). The file is modified in place. Returns true if the signature is successfully removed; otherwise returns false.

      For PowerShell and VBScript files, the signature comment block is removed from the end of the file. For MSI packages, the digital signature stream and the extended signature stream (MsiDigitalSignatureEx) are removed.

      Effect of removal: The resulting file is no longer Authenticode-signed and no longer carries the removed publisher and timestamp information. This operation does not delete the signing certificate from a Windows certificate store or alter the private key. Keep a backup when the original signed file must be retained.

      Parameters:
      path - the path argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • verifySignature

      public void verifySignature​(String path, JsonObject sigInfo)
      Verifies the embedded Microsoft Authenticode signature of the file specified by path: a Windows executable or DLL, or, starting in v11.7.0, a Windows Installer package (.msi), PowerShell file (.ps1, .psm1, .psd1), or VBScript file (.vbs). See addSignature(String, Cert, JsonObject) for the supported file types. Other file types cause the method to return false. Structured information about the signature, signer, certificate chain, digest algorithms, timestamp, and validation result is written to sigInfo.

      Returns true when the signature satisfies the applicable Authenticode validation checks under the current Windows trust configuration. This includes confirming that the signed portions of the file have not changed and evaluating the signing certificate and timestamp information, as applicable. An unsigned file or a signature that does not validate causes the method to return false. Inspect sigInfo and LastErrorText for details.

      Starting in v11.7.0, verification of an EXE or DLL also includes a strict check of the PE certificate table: it must hold exactly one signature entry, containing exactly the signature that was verified, with no extra data. Data in the certificate table is not covered by the Authenticode signature (see CVE-2013-3900), so anything hidden there would be unsigned. A file that fails this check causes the method to return false unless the codesign-allow-cert-padding option is set in getUncommonOptions().

      MSI packages signed with an ECDSA certificate: this method can return true for such a package, while Windows itself reports the signature as invalid. This is a limitation of signed MSI files on Windows, not a Chilkat defect; see the note in addSignature(String, Cert, JsonObject).

      What successful verification means: Authenticode verifies publisher identity, file integrity, and certificate trust according to the validation policy. It does not prove that the software is bug-free, safe to execute, or free of malicious behavior. Trust results can also depend on the Windows trusted-root store, certificate-chain availability, timestamp validity, revocation policy, and other system trust settings.

      Parameters:
      path - the path argument (not null)
      sigInfo - the sigInfo argument (not null)
      Throws:
      ChilkatException - if the operation fails; ChilkatException.getLastErrorText() says why

    • setProgressListener

      public void setProgressListener​(ProgressListener listener)
      Installs the listener that receives this object's progress events (abortCheck, percentDone, progressInfo) during its long-running methods; replaces any listener or lambda installed before; null removes it.
      Parameters:
      listener - the listener, or null
      Throws:
      IllegalStateException - if called from inside one of this object's own callbacks

    • getProgressListener

      public ProgressListener getProgressListener()
      Returns the installed listener, or null.
      Returns:
      the listener installed with setProgressListener(ProgressListener) or one of the on... methods

    • onAbortCheck

      public void onAbortCheck​(BooleanSupplier callback)
      Installs a listener whose only callback is abortCheck: called every HeartbeatMs milliseconds during a long-running method; return true to abort it. Replaces any listener installed before.
      Parameters:
      callback - the callback, or null to remove the listener

    • onPercentDone

      public void onPercentDone​(IntPredicate callback)
      Installs a listener whose only callback is percentDone: called with the completion percentage (0..100) as a long-running method progresses; return true to abort it. Replaces any listener installed before.
      Parameters:
      callback - the callback, or null to remove the listener

    • onProgressInfo

      public void onProgressInfo​(BiConsumer<String,​String> callback)
      Installs a listener whose only callback is progressInfo: called with a name/value pair of progress information as a long-running method proceeds. Replaces any listener installed before.
      Parameters:
      callback - the callback, or null to remove the listener