T1588.003sub-technique of T1588 Obtain Capabilities

Code Signing Certificates

PREnothing on this site yetT1588.003 on attack.mitre.org

Adversaries may buy and/or steal code signing certificates that can be used during targeting. Code signing is the process of digitally signing executables and scripts to confirm the software author and guarantee that the code has not been altered or corrupted. Code signing provides a level of authenticity for a program from the developer and a guarantee that the program has not been tampered with.
MITRE ATT&CK 19.2, retrieved 2026-09-12

how MITRE says to see it

Detection of Code Signing Certificates

Consider analyzing code signing certificates for features that may be associated with the adversary and/or their developers, such as the thumbprint, algorithm used, validity period, common name, and certificate authority.

what reduces it

M1056 Pre-compromise. This technique cannot be easily mitigated with preventive controls since it is based on behaviors performed outside of the scope of enterprise defenses and controls.

the rest of T1588

T1588.001 Malware · not covered yet
T1588.002 Tool · not covered yet
T1588.004 Digital Certificates · not covered yet
T1588.005 Exploits · not covered yet
T1588.006 Vulnerabilities · not covered yet
T1588.007 Artificial Intelligence · not covered yet

The description, detection analytics and mitigations are reproduced from MITRE ATT&CK, version 19.2, under its terms of use. The checklists, hunts, labs and everything else linked here are this site’s.