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arXiv · 2503.00271

Why Johnny Adopts Identity-Based Software Signing: A Usability Case Study of Sigstore

Kelechi G. Kalu·Sofia Okorafor·Tanmay Singla·Sophie Chen·Santiago Torres-Arias·James C. Davis
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Abstract

Software signing is the most robust method for ensuring the integrity and authenticity of components in a software supply chain. Legacy key-managed signing tools (e.g., OpenPGP) burdened practitioners with key management and signer identification, creating both usability challenges and security risks. A new class of identity-based signing tools automate many of these concerns, but little is known about their usability and its effect on their adoption and effectiveness in practice. A usability evaluation can clarify the extent to which identity-based designs succeed and highlight priorities for improvement. To fill this gap, we conducted the first usability study of Sigstore, a pioneering and widely adopted exemplar of identity-based signing. Through interviews with 17 industry experts, we examined (1) the problems and advantages associated with practitioners' tooling choices, (2) how and why their signing-tool usage has evolved over time, and (3) the contexts that cause usability concerns. Our findings illuminate the usability factors of identity-based signing tools and yield recommendations for toolmakers, adopting organizations, and the research community. Notably, components of identity-based tooling exhibit different levels of maturity and readiness for adoption, and integration flexibility is a common pain point but potentially mitigable through plugins and APIs. Our results will help identity-based signing toolmakers further strengthen software supply chain security.

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Kelechi G. Kalu, Sofia Okorafor, Tanmay Singla, Sophie Chen, Santiago Torres-Arias, James C. Davis. 2025-03-01. Why Johnny Adopts Identity-Based Software Signing: A Usability Case Study of Sigstore. https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.00271

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