About Digital Signatures

When you try to load an executable file or add-in, the software checks its security credentials, including its digital signature.

A digital signature is a block of information added to certain files to identify the originator and indicate whether a file has been altered since the digital signature was applied.

You can examine a file's digital signature through a chain of trust back to the root certificate issued by a trusted certificate authority (CA).

To access the digital signature for a signed file, do one of the following:

• If a dialog includes a View Certificate link, click the link.
• Right-click the file and then click Properties, the Digital Signatures tab, the name of the signer and the Details button, and then View Certificate.