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Using the WAPT key to sign external executables

Published: May 17, 2021 - 1:42 PM
by Alann
Hello,

here's a tip to share for anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation:

I have an executable I compiled myself using AutoIt, which I use to map a network drive. To deploy it, I created a simple WAPT package that pastes the file into the desired location.

The problem is that Windows 10, in its latest virus definitions, flagged me as a malicious publisher and deleted my executable.

The solution is to use the WAPT private key to sign the package. Since the affected machines have this key by definition, the executable no longer causes any problems.

For the signature, I used the signtool, which is part of Visual Studio (Win10 SDK).

Hope this helps someone...

Re: Using the WAPT key to sign external executables

Published: May 18, 2021 - 09:02
by dcardon
Hi Alann,
thanks for sharing. It's interesting to see that Windows Defender is happy with the auto-generated key signature; it shouldn't have changed much, but oh well... That said, adding your public key to the certstore should have an even greater impact.
By the way, there's a signtool package available in the store to avoid having to install the entire Visual Studio.
Regards,
Denis