VB.NET Requires Chilkat v11.7.0+

Authenticode Sign a Windows Installer Package (MSI)

See more Code Signing Examples

Demonstrates how to Authenticode sign a Windows Installer package (.msi). Signing MSI packages requires Chilkat v11.7.0 or later. The package is signed in place, and the certificate must have an RSA key: Windows does not accept the signature of an MSI that was signed with an ECDSA certificate. VB.NET

Dim success As Boolean = False

'  This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
'  See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

'  Signing a Windows Installer package (.msi) requires Chilkat v11.7.0 or later.

'  Load the code signing certificate.  It must have access to its private key.
Dim cert As New Chilkat.Cert
success = cert.LoadPfxFile("C:/someDir/myCodeSigningCert.pfx","pfx password")
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(cert.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


'  Use a certificate with an RSA key to sign an MSI.
'  Windows does not accept the signature of an MSI that was signed with an ECDSA certificate
'  (signtool verify and the Digital Signatures tab of the file's properties report it as invalid).
'  This is a limitation of signed MSI files on Windows.  It does not apply to EXE, DLL, PowerShell,
'  or VBScript files, which can be signed with either kind of certificate.
If (cert.IsRsa() = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine("Use an RSA code signing certificate to sign an MSI.")
    Exit Sub
End If


'  Sign with SHA256, and ask a timestamp authority for a timestamp.  A timestamp lets the
'  signature continue to validate after the code signing certificate has expired.
'  
'  {
'    "hashAlg": "sha256",
'    "timestampToken": {
'      "enabled": true,
'      "tsaUrl": "http://timestamp.digicert.com",
'      "requestTsaCert": true,
'      "hashAlg": "sha256"
'    }
'  }
Dim json As New Chilkat.JsonObject
json.UpdateString("hashAlg","sha256")
json.UpdateBool("timestampToken.enabled",True)
json.UpdateString("timestampToken.tsaUrl","http://timestamp.digicert.com")
json.UpdateBool("timestampToken.requestTsaCert",True)
json.UpdateString("timestampToken.hashAlg","sha256")

Dim msiPath As String = "C:/someDir/MyAppSetup.msi"

Dim signer As New Chilkat.CodeSign

'  The .msi is modified in place.  The signature is stored in the package's digital signature stream.
'  If the package is already signed, the new signature replaces the existing one.
success = signer.AddSignature(msiPath,cert,json)
If (success = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(signer.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


Debug.WriteLine("Signed the MSI.")

'  Verify the signature that was just added.
Dim sigInfo As New Chilkat.JsonObject
Dim valid As Boolean = signer.VerifySignature(msiPath,sigInfo)
If (valid = False) Then
    Debug.WriteLine(signer.LastErrorText)
    Exit Sub
End If


Debug.WriteLine("The signature is valid.")