The Truth Behind Short-Lived Code Signing Certificates and Rising Costs

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Why Are Code Signing Certificates So Expensive and Short-Lived in 2026?

Developers and IT leaders are facing a new challenge: code signing certificates are getting dramatically more expensive, harder to manage, and increasingly short-lived—some expiring in just three days. On Security Now, Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte revealed how this industry shift is impacting small businesses, enterprise teams, and software authenticity. This episode provides a clear breakdown of why this is happening, what three-day certificates actually mean, and practical strategies for coping with the upheaval.

What Are Three-Day Code Signing Certificates—and Why Now?

Traditional code signing certificates would last several years, allowing developers to sign software and assure users that it came from a legitimate source. However, new rules enforced by major certificate authorities—and increasingly, by Microsoft—now require certificates to be not only stored in secure hardware (like FIPS-compliant modules or special USB keys) but also to have very short lifespans.

According to Steve Gibson on Security Now, the trend toward “three-day certificates” is driven by a push for enhanced security. If a signing key is compromised, the theory goes, it can no longer be abused long-term because the certificate is only valid for a matter of days. This model is central to Microsoft Azure’s Trusted Signing service, which Steve Gibson highlights as both a cost-effective solution and a new technical hurdle for development teams.

The True Impact: Complexity and Rising Costs

The burdens of these new requirements go beyond security:

• Developers and software vendors now face a much more complicated and manual process to obtain and use code signing certificates.
• Prices have soared—where a three-year certificate once cost around $180, it’s not uncommon to see annual renewal fees topping $500 or more, especially with “Enterprise Validation” (EV) requirements.
• Microsoft’s Azure Trusted Signing offers a cheaper (if highly technical) path, with short-lived certificates issued on-demand for each signing operation. But many teams are struggling with the “Azure Jungle” of account setup, permissions, and confusing documentation.
• Smaller companies and solo developers are hit hardest, as managing secure hardware keys and constant renewals becomes daunting and expensive.

On Security Now, Steve Gibson emphasizes that this is not just a theoretical headache—thousands of organizations are now forced to rethink automation, update deployment, and even internal tooling to cope with these changing standards.

How Three-Day Certificates Actually Work

Here’s what matters most for developers:

• Code signing’s primary purpose is to prove who built the software and confirm the code hasn’t changed since it was signed.
• With short-lived certificates (such as Azure's three-day model), the signing key is safely destroyed after a brief period.
• Timestamping is crucial: When code is signed, a timestamp authority attaches a proof-of-time so that even after the certificate has expired, the signature remains verifiable and trustworthy.
• In the event of a compromise, only code signed within the certificate’s validity window is at risk, greatly reducing exposure compared to older models.

While this is a technical upgrade for security, Steve Gibson points out that it places a heavy documentation burden and added points of failure on development teams who were used to much simpler processes.

Strategies for Coping with the New Reality

On Security Now, practical options emerged for developers and IT leaders:

• Explore managed signing services like Microsoft Azure Trusted Signing, but ensure your team invests substantial time to learn the tooling.
• If you have an existing code signing certificate (especially one valid for three years or more), make the most of it before renewal requirements tighten further.
• For smaller teams, avoid “Enterprise Validation” (EV) if possible, as it provides little added benefit and dramatically increases cost and hassle.
• Always use a timestamping authority when signing code to ensure signatures are valid even after certificate expiration.
• Seek out less expensive certificate authorities still offering multi-year certificates until the March 1st, 2026 deadline, when regulations will tighten globally.

What You Need to Know

• Code signing is now much more expensive and complex.
• Cloud-based, short-lived certificate models are rapidly becoming required for signing Windows applications.
• Developers must use timestamping to preserve validity post-certificate expiration.
• Automation and DevOps teams should prepare for more frequent certificate renewal and management.
• Smaller companies are most affected by these shifting requirements and costs.
• Microsoft’s Azure Trusted Signing may lower costs but has a steep learning curve.
• “Enterprise Validation” often adds little value for most developers; skip if possible.
• Multi-year certificates will soon disappear—act before the March 2026 deadline if you want a longer window.

The Bottom Line

The era of “set it and forget it” code signing is over. Developers, IT managers, and organizations must quickly adapt to short-lived certificates, rising costs, and new tools like Azure’s managed signing service. The burden is heavier—but with smart planning and early adoption of timestamping best practices, teams can maintain trusted software distribution despite the turbulence.

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https://twit.tv/shows/security-now/episodes/1060