InstallShield
Software Corp. is
partnering with VeriSign Inc., a
provider of Public Key
Infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificate solutions.
The companies will co-market VeriSign’s Software Developer Digital IDs to
enable the secure distribution of software by developers over the Internet.
Software Developer IDs allow software publishers to digitally sign software
code, assuring customers that the software they are downloading comes from a
verified source, and that it hasn’t been tampered with or corrupted.
Support for implementing VeriSign Software Developer IDs has been bundled with
two of InstallShield’s leading Internet installation and distribution
products, InstallFromTheWeb and PackageForTheWeb. Both products will also
facilitate the acquisition of VeriSign Digital IDs and enable simultaneous
installation and digital certificate set up.
“Our partnership with VeriSign will make it easier for developers to include
digital certificates with their installations and provide the end-user with
added security above and beyond standard encryption for e-commerce
applications,” said Brian Hall, vice president of marketing at InstallShield.
InstallFromTheWeb allows developers and end-users to easily “Web-enable” an
existing Windows installation for a trouble-free Web-based software download
and installation process. PackageForTheWeb, available with the company’s
flagship product, InstallShield Professional, enables the creation of file
formats required for Internet delivery of a developer’s component
applications.
InstallFromTheWeb and PackageForTheWeb allow easy Software
Developer Digital ID implementation by merely specifying the Software
Publisher Credential (SPC) and Private Key (PVK) files.
Digital IDs are based on public key cryptography. The identity of the ID
holder is bound to a pair of unique electronic keys that can be used to sign
and encrypt digital information. The public key is widely distributed to users
within a sealed digital certificate software file, while the private key is
kept safe and only used by its owner.