Availability of SHA-2 Code Signing Support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2


Published: March 10, 2015

Version: 1.0



General Information
 
Executive Summary

Microsoft is announcing the reissuance of an update for all supported editions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 to add support for SHA-2 signing and verification functionality.
 This update supersedes the 2949927 update that was rescinded on October 17, 2014 to address issues that some customers experienced after installation.
 As with the original release, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT, and Windows RT 8.1 do not require this update because SHA-2 signing and 
verification functionality is already included in these operating systems. This update is not available for Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008.

Recommendation. 
Customers who have automatic updating enabled and configured to check online for updates from Microsoft Update typically will not need to take any action because this security update will be downloaded and 
installed automatically. Customers who have not enabled automatic updating need to check for updates and install this update manually. 
For information about specific configuration options in automatic updating, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 294871.

For customers who install updates manually (including customers who have not enabled automatic updating), Microsoft recommends applying the update at the earliest opportunity using update management software, 
or by checking for updates using the Microsoft Update service. The updates are also available via the download links in the Affected Software table in this advisory.
