Code signing certificates for Adobe AIR applications

VeriSign today released VeriSign Code Signing Certificates for an application on Adobe AIR. Adobe AIR is a cross-operating system runtime that enables rich Internet applications to be deployed on the desktop. Now, RIA developers can sign their code with VeriSign Code Signing Certificates, which will help assure end users that applications on Adobe AIR are from a trusted publisher and that applications can be securely delivered.

With today’s announcement, Adobe has broadened its affiliation with VeriSign as a code signing certificate authority for Adobe AIR. In February, Adobe announced that Adobe AIR supported code signing certificates from thawte, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of VeriSign. Adobe requires all applications on Adobe AIR to be digitally signed, and VeriSign and thawte were the first Certification Authorities to offer code signing certificates to the Adobe AIR developer community.

By obtaining a VeriSign or thawte code signing certificate for an application on Adobe AIR, RIA developers can digitally sign applications, resulting in “virtual shrinkwrap” protection. For the end-user, a broken digital signature means code has been tampered with or modified, and the application can’t be installed on the machine.