Just signatures would indeed not help much in this particular case. Signatures plus other ways to establish trust will help. To give two examples:
- macOS apps need to be signed (to run without extra work). The keypair is associated with a developer ID account that has a credit card on file. Abuse is still possible (stolen credit card, stolen certificate), but a lot harder.
- Some open source project have their own WoT. For example, IIRC NetBSD required new developers to meet with one or two existing developers in person to verify their identity. (Pretty much like a regular PGP WoT.)
These are more work, but they also make the world safer for users.
- macOS apps need to be signed (to run without extra work). The keypair is associated with a developer ID account that has a credit card on file. Abuse is still possible (stolen credit card, stolen certificate), but a lot harder.
- Some open source project have their own WoT. For example, IIRC NetBSD required new developers to meet with one or two existing developers in person to verify their identity. (Pretty much like a regular PGP WoT.)
These are more work, but they also make the world safer for users.