What browser for Code Signing Certificates on Windows 11

Hi Folks,

What browser are you using to purchase code signing certificates on Windows
11?

The website page for the link to buy from the Lindersoft web page
apparently only supports IE 11 and very old versions of Firefox.

Thanks!

Charles

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Hi Charles,

Going thru that now. You have to use Internet Explorer.

Don Harvey

> Going thru that now. You have to use Internet Explorer.

Thanks Don,

I'd read that in Jane's updated PDF.

Unfortunately you can no longer install Internet Explorer into Windows 11.

For now I will have to order it in a Windows 10 VM and export it from
there.

But it is obvious that since all new machines are Windows 11 that Sectigo
and other sites are going to have to figure out a new way to do this that
works with Microsoft Edge.

Charles

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Sorry for being off topic, but this alarmed me!

>Unfortunately you can no longer install Internet Explorer into Windows 11.

What happens with programs, that have Capesofts FileExplorer integrated? Which
is based on IE.

Will those procedures not run anymore?

Sorry for asking this dumb question, but I have no Win 11 here to test.

TIA
Wolfgang

> Sorry for being off topic, but this alarmed me!
>
>>Unfortunately you can no longer install Internet Explorer into Windows 11.
>
> What happens with programs, that have Capesofts FileExplorer integrated? Which
> is based on IE.
>
> Will those procedures not run anymore?
>
> Sorry for asking this dumb question, but I have no Win 11 here to test.

Bruce is probably the right person to answer this question.

I know that CapeSoft replaced File Explorer with Chrome Explorer as a tool
built for the future, so you can probably swap out for that as a best way
forward.

I suspect that when IE11 reaches end of life that they will stop all
updates for it and that things depending on it will not work.

Some threads I followed even mentioned taking old IE11 installers and
installing them on Windows 11 and the files from the installer don't even
show up when it is finished.

Edge does have a funky sort of tool where you can enable IE mode for
specific URLs, but I played around with that and it did not work to buy the
code sign certificate. When the URL calls to another IE page, it fails.
Plus IIRC the URLs you enter as an exception into the list of your edge
browser only work for 30 days and then they are removed.

In the case of the code signing, the web page interacts with the browser to
manipulate the certificate cache on the PC.

I'm not sure if Edge or other modern browsers can do this, but if so then
the web pages are going to have to be updated to use code that would call
into the capabilities of the more modern browsers.

Or they could just forget all this code signing stuff and go back to the
wild west hacker days of before...

:-)

Charles

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Hi Don,

On 12/27/2021 12:52 PM, Don Harvey wrote:
> Going thru that now. You have to use Internet Explorer.

MS Edge replaced IE a while back it and I would assume it works. I seem
to recall that was what I used last time I ordered a certificate.

Best regards,

--
Arnor Baldvinsson
Icetips Alta LLC

> MS Edge replaced IE a while back it and I would assume it works. I seem
> to recall that was what I used last time I ordered a certificate.

The Sectigo site does not work with Edge (buttons are disabled and notices
advise you that IE 11 or very old versions of FireFox are the only option.

So apparently the code signing industry is going to have to get their stuff
together in 2022 (since Internet Explorer is end of life in July).

For now I'll just have to use IE in a Windows 10 VM.

Charles

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Hi Arnor,

I tried Edge, Chrome, Firefox and received the same error. So went to
IE which is still on Win 10 and it worked. So I don't know. Maybe I
have Edge set up wrong.

At any rate, got it. Now waiting for them to activate and send.

Don Harvey

> What happens with programs, that have Capesofts FileExplorer integrated? Which
> is based on IE.

As I understand it, effectively gone - replaced by Chrome Explorer or
whatever it is called.

Andre Labuschagne

Hi Charles,

On 12/27/2021 21:45 PM, Charles Edmonds wrote:
> The Sectigo site does not work with Edge (buttons are disabled and
> notices
> advise you that IE 11 or very old versions of FireFox are the only option.
>
> So apparently the code signing industry is going to have to get their stuff
> together in 2022 (since Internet Explorer is end of life in July).

You are quite right! I dug up my emails from 2019 and it states:

"*Please use Microsoft Internet Explorer 8+ on Windows and Mozilla
Firefox on Mac to collect your certificate.*
Code Signing Certificate cannot currently be obtained using Google
Chrome, Apple Safari or Microsoft Edge."

And my W10 does have a bare-bone thing called IE 11.

It's kind of ironic that we have to use a dead browser that has more
security holes in it by now than Swiss cheese to get code signing
certificates to "secure" our distributed software!<g> This code signing
business is so outdated that it's not even funny.

Best regards,


--
Arnor Baldvinsson
Icetips Alta LLC

> Or they could just forget all this code signing stuff and go back to the
> wild west hacker days of before...

Please - oh please go back to that :-)

Andre Labuschagne

> It's kind of ironic that we have to use a dead browser that has more
> security holes in it by now than Swiss cheese to get code signing
> certificates to "secure" our distributed software!<g> This code signing
> business is so outdated that it's not even funny.

+1

It is a joke - I mean it really is funny.

The scary thing is any security expert worth his or her or whatever salt
will attest that the very concept of code signing is archaic. Like
thinking it is not possible to programmatically intercept a Tomahawk
missile and send it back from whence it came.

The games we humans play.....

Andre Labuschagne

The latest Malware that can steal your passwords from the browser uses a
code signed app that gets installed. So code signing is basically a facade.

Ray Rippey
VMT Software

> The latest Malware that can steal your passwords from the browser uses a
> code signed app that gets installed. So code signing is basically a facade.

Did not know that but it all makes sense. The mimic strategy has been
with us animals for billions of years.

Andre Labuschagne

Hi Charles,

there is a new "IE Mode" in Edge. According to M$, it uses the IE 11 engine
for "legacy sites". Whatever this means.

All this is a nightmare, IMHO :-( You need IE to request a code-signing
certificate, but Windows 11 does not support IE. This is crazy.

Friedrich

> there is a new "IE Mode" in Edge. According to M$, it uses the IE 11 engine
> for "legacy sites". Whatever this means.

I tried that at first, but it does not work.

Adding the site page to the IE exception list allows you to start the
process, but then it fails (just hangs).

That is why I decided to use IE11 in a Windows 10 VM.

> All this is a nightmare, IMHO :-( You need IE to request a code-signing
> certificate, but Windows 11 does not support IE. This is crazy.

"Catch 22"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eXI4uy3Mlg

:-)

Charles

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Hi Friedrich,

On 1/3/2022 12:00 PM, Friedrich Linder wrote:
> there is a new "IE Mode" in Edge. According to M$, it uses the IE 11 engine
> for "legacy sites". Whatever this means.
>
> All this is a nightmare, IMHO :-( You need IE to request a code-signing
> certificate, but Windows 11 does not support IE. This is crazy.

Is this only the comodo (don't remember the "new" name) or does this
apply to ALL code signing certificates? Stumbled on some old JavaScript
code couple of weeks ago that referenced IE 6. Guess we're at the same
point ;) It IS crazy!

Best regards,

--
Arnor Baldvinsson
Icetips Alta LLC

>> there is a new "IE Mode" in Edge. According to M$, it uses the IE 11
>> engine
>> for "legacy sites". Whatever this means.
>
> I tried that at first, but it does not work.
>
> Adding the site page to the IE exception list allows you to start the
> process, but then it fails (just hangs).
>
> That is why I decided to use IE11 in a Windows 10 VM.

Ouch! Thanks for the confirmation, my friend.

Friedrich

Hi Arnor,

as far as I know, this applies to all WebTrusts. It's some kind of Windows
limitation and it all started with the introduction of UAC.

Only IE fully supports the the request and collection of Authenticode
certificates. Edge never worked, Firefox might work, Google Crome fails in
most cases.

Friedrich

Hi Friedrich,

On 1/5/2022 06:08 AM, Friedrich Linder wrote:
> as far as I know, this applies to all WebTrusts. It's some kind of Windows
> limitation and it all started with the introduction of UAC.

Ouch! But then that was 14 years ago, right? You'd THINK someone could
have come up with something in all that time! Vista came out on Jan 30,
2007. I remember it was before I moved from Texas as I bought a laptop
with Vista to test UAC installs!

Well, hopefully someone will get an idea on this and we won't have to go
back to running IE 6<g>

Can you get these things on like Ubuntu? I have an old HP laptop with
Ubuntu...<g>

Best regards,


--
Arnor Baldvinsson
Icetips Alta LLC

Observe the lesson:

Avoid using Services provided by too big of a company (where
practical) because they will cut you off without a thought.

I assume the certificate companies had a good reason to use IE, but I
would -really- like to know that reason...

Carl Sumner

> Observe the lesson:
>
> Avoid using Services provided by too big of a company (where
> practical) because they will cut you off without a thought.

+1000

Listed and/or large companies work for their shareholders. Non-listed
and/or small companies work for their clients/customers. I leave it up
to you to work out which of these offer the best service and products.

Andre Labuschagne

Hi Carl,

On 1/6/2022 12:38 PM, Carl W. Sumner wrote:
> I assume the certificate companies had a good reason to use IE, but I
> would -really- like to know that reason...

I had a talk once at a conference with a guy who worked for Comodo. To
listen to him describe how it worked was both horrifying and hilarious.
Essentially nobody had a clue what they were doing except making a ton
of money. And I think that's pretty much what a lot of these
certifications boil down to. Personally I don't trust code signed
software any more than I trust not code signed software. Just look at
the SolarWinds hack! That stuff was code signed and contained malicious
code from (allegedly) Russian hackers.

Best regards,

--
Arnor Baldvinsson
Icetips Alta LLC

> I had a talk once at a conference with a guy who worked for Comodo. To
> listen to him describe how it worked was both horrifying and hilarious.
> Essentially nobody had a clue what they were doing except making a ton
> of money. And I think that's pretty much what a lot of these
> certifications boil down to. Personally I don't trust code signed
> software any more than I trust not code signed software. Just look at
> the SolarWinds hack! That stuff was code signed and contained malicious
> code from (allegedly) Russian hackers.

It's always about the Benjamins!!!

:-)

Charles


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