How to export Sectigo Code Signing Certificate to PFX for Electron Forge's Windows Code Signing? [closed]

Question

I am building an Electron Forge app. I believe if I sign my app as my llc I will avoid the "Unknown Developer" popups users get when they run my exe. I'm doing this because the error is a scary UX.

I am trying to get a pfx file out of Sectigo usb to enable signing my app with a github action. I understand a usb wasn't always required.

Here are the steps I expect to follow based on Electron Forge's documentation:

• Buy a Code Signing Certificate from Sectigo and go through their validation steps. I believe i bought the non-EV version.
• Plug in the usb containing a signing certificate
• Grab the password they sent in the email
• Do something to get a pfx file
• Update forge.config.js with:

{
      name: '@electron-forge/maker-squirrel',
      config: {
        certificateFile: './cert.pfx', <- I need this pfx file
        certificatePassword: process.env.CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD // <- This is the email password I asusme
      }
    }

What I tried to get a pfx file

Here are some of the ways I've tried to get the PFX. Sectigo's Knowledge Base is incredibly difficult to navigate and understand. I don't see one example of my pfx use case. Searching pfx only brings up an article that assumes you already have one.

Using SafeNet

• Download and open SafeNet Authentication client, the app Sectigo suggests you use
• Note the hierarchy Tokens -> My Company LLC -> User Certificates -> My Company LLC
• Log into the outer My Company LLC token using the emailed password
• Right click the inner My Company LLC token, export
• Note that the only filetype option is .cer when a .pfx is what is needed

Using certmgr

• Run certmgr.msc (note that searching cert manager with windows brings up the same app, but with different certs, I dont know why)
• See My Company LLC in the list, issued by Sectigo Public Code Signing CA R36
• Right click it, All Tasks, Export, Next
• Note that the option Yes, export the private key is blurred out.
• See Note: The associated private key is marked as not exportable. Only the certificate can be exported.

Signing it by hand

• Run certmgr.msc
• Double click My Company LLC, Details , scroll down through the fields
• Copy the value of the Thumbprint field
• Add signtool to path
• Run make to get an electron forge exe
• In an administrator bash, run

signtool sign /sha1 THUMBPRINT_OF_CERTIFICATE /tr http://timestamp.sectigo.com /td sha256 /fd sha256 /ksp "SafeNet Key Storage Provider" "path\to\program.exe"

This gives me

SignTool Error: Multiple certificates were found that meet all the given
        criteria. Use the /a option to allow SignTool to choose the best
        certificate automatically or use the /sha1 option with the hash of the
        desired certificate.
The following certificates meet all given criteria:
    Issued to: 12a07552-4d30-4fca-846c-a8be84912193
    Issued by: 12a07552-4d30-4fca-846c-a8be84912193
    Expires:   Sat Mar 29 01:32:52 2025
    SHA1 hash: HASH_ONE

    Issued to: 2f31b0a3-ea27-4cd2-9667-2b0d00c33f1d
    Issued by: 2f31b0a3-ea27-4cd2-9667-2b0d00c33f1d
    Expires:   Tue Mar 25 20:44:51 2025
    SHA1 hash: HASH_TWO

    Issued to: MY COMPANY LLC
    Issued by: Sectigo Public Code Signing CA R36
    Expires:   Thu May 22 18:59:59 2025
    SHA1 hash: MY_CERTIFICATE_THUMBPRINT

Despite running the signing command with /a and /sha1, this error is all i get.

Physical Device Requirement

I sort of understand that Microsoft now requires a physical device to sign apps. Does that mean that it will be impossible to sign my app with CI? Not having to build my apps by hand saves me thousands of human errors.

Some Links I found

• Sectigo How Tos Youtube Playlist

• Impenetrable Microsoft Explanation of Digital Signatures

What my key looks like

Answer 1

I am trying to get a pfx file out of Sectigo usb to enable signing my app with a github action. I understand a usb wasn't always required.

This is not possible, you can't extract the private key from the USB token to a file based keystore. The new code signing keys delivered since June 1, 2023 must be stored on a hardware storage module.

Instead of creating a pfx file you have to set the signWithParams parameter in the squirrel configuration and specify the signtool parameters to use the USB token.

Something like this:

"makers": [
  {
    "name": "@electron-forge/maker-squirrel",
    "config": {
      "signWithParams": " /a /tr http://rfc3161timestamp.globalsign.com/advanced /fd SHA256 /td SHA256 /sha1 [thumbprint]"
    }
  }
],