Always keep signature verification enabled in package managers, even in development environments, Docker containers, or when facing initialization challenges. Disabling signature verification creates a significant security vulnerability by allowing potentially compromised or malicious packages to be installed.
Why this matters: Package signature verification is a critical defense against supply chain attacks. Even temporary disabling for convenience can expose systems to compromise.
Example - Do not do this:
# Disable signature checking on pacman because we cannot initialize the keyring
RUN pacman-key --init && pacman -Sy --noconfirm --disable-download-timeout
Instead do this:
# Initialize keyring properly to maintain signature checking
RUN pacman-key --init && pacman-key --populate && pacman -Sy --noconfirm --disable-download-timeout
When facing difficulties with package signature verification, research the proper initialization method rather than disabling the security feature.
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