Case Study

Manual Signing. Unprotected Keys. A Financial Institution's Code Signing Centralized and Secured

How CodeSign Secure with Thales HSM centralized code signing, secured private keys, enabled multi-platform signing across Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS, and Docker, and established audit workflows for a leading financial services firm.

Customer Profile

A leading financial institution offering retail banking, investment banking, and asset management. Known for strict data protection including multi-layered encryption, regular security audits, and continuous IT infrastructure monitoring to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Industry

Financial Services | Banking & Investment

Engagement Type

CodeSign Secure Deployment | Centralized Signing with Thales HSM

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At a Glance Outcome

Thales HSM

Private keys secured in hardware with centralized management

Multi-Platform

Windows, Linux RPM, Mac, Android, iOS, and Docker signing

LDAP

Access control integrated with customizable approval workflows

Timestamp

Signatures remain valid and trusted beyond certificate expiration

The Enterprise

Challenges

The institution's code signing was manual, slow, and error-prone. Private keys sat in poorly protected environments, file type support covered only basic Microsoft formats, and no timestamping or audit trails existed to meet regulatory requirements.

Signing keys vulnerable to theft

Private keys lacked proper protection, exposing them to theft and letting attackers disguise malicious code as authentic. Limited revocation mechanisms amplified key compromise risk.

01 Key Security

No timestamping, weakened trust

Without timestamping, certificate expiration or revocation would invalidate signatures and undermine confidence. Timestamps keep signatures valid and trusted even after certificates expire or are revoked.

02 Timestamping

Manual processes, compliance gaps

Regulators required audit trails demonstrating software integrity. Manual signing lacked the transparency, accountability, and documentation to prove code was tamper-free or enforce security policies consistently.

03 COMPLIANCE

For a financial institution where regulatory compliance and client trust are foundational, code signing needed to move from a manual, fragmented process to a centralized, auditable, and secure operation.

Encryption Consulting

Engagement Summary · Encryption Consulting · CodeSign Secure

Our Offered

Solutions

CodeSign Secure was deployed with Thales HSM to centralize code signing, secure private keys in hardware, enable timestamping, expand file type coverage across all major platforms, establish a trusted certificate list for the anti-malware team, and build structured approval workflows with audit reporting.

Capability 01

Thales HSM & Centralized Key Management

Thales HSM stores and manages private keys in tamper-proof hardware. This centralizes signing with timestamping and eliminates insecure storage on servers and endpoints. All key protection is documented.

Capability 02

Multi-Platform File Type Support

Signing support expanded beyond Microsoft formats to cover Windows (.exe, .dll, .msi, .cab, .ocx), Linux RPM, Jar, Mac OS, Android, iOS, and Docker. This removed the previous platform limitation.

Capability 03

Trusted Certificates & Anti-Malware Enforcement

A trusted certificate list lets the anti-malware team allow only verified certificates. This reduces key storage risks and blocks unauthorized or malicious code from receiving trusted signatures.

Capability 04

Workflows, Audits & LDAP Access Control

Structured approval workflows and audit processes govern key usage across functional units, with metric reports for accountability. LDAP integration provides strong access control with customizable workflows that block unauthorized signing.

The result was a centralized, HSM-secured code signing platform with multi-platform support, structured audit trails, and LDAP-integrated access controls that aligned the institution’s practices with regulatory and security standards.

Encryption Consulting

Engagement Summary · Encryption Consulting · CodeSign Secure

The Overall

Business Outcome

CodeSign Secure transformed the institution's code signing from a manual, fragmented process into a centralized, auditable operation that strengthened compliance and client trust.

Keys secured, signing centralized

Thales HSM centralized key management with timestamping, eliminating insecure storage on servers and devices. One secure platform now delivers full signing visibility and control.

Multi-platform coverage & policy enforcement

Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS, and Docker signing eliminated platform gaps. Trusted certificate lists and LDAP controls restrict signing to authorized personnel with verified certificates.

Audit trails & compliance strengthened

Approval workflows with metric reports improved transparency across functional units. Audit trails prove software integrity to regulators and reinforce client trust and financial security standards.

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