The use of a digital or electronic signature has gained popularity among businesses seeking to convert their venture to electronic powered establishments in order to maximize efficiency and cost. However, digital signatures are quite different from electronic signatures although many people tend to view them as one. To date, digital signatures are the leading choice of identity verification used online.
Digital signatures are a particular type of electronic signatures, only it offers higher security and complete protection for its users. It present all the benefits of an electronic signature while going one-step further to encrypt documents using a mathematical algorithm that is impossible to duplicate. The algorithm is set in a way that no two files will share the same set of codes, and that the digital signatures will change with any modification of the original document, however minor it is.
Like electronic signature, it is equivalent to an individual's signature in the electronic interface. Using a digital signature with data encryption technology render forging virtually impossible. Only the person who holds the generation key can produce the signature value, and only a public digital signature generation key can verify the authenticity of a digital signature. This can work both ways as the public key generation verification method also act as prevention against the sender denying its own digital signature, known as repudiation. Apart from that, a digital signature is also accompanied by a Certification authority (CA), that is, the signature issued by the certificate issuer, to be verified for authentication, making it much more secure and convenient than using hand-signed signatures.
What set it apart from other forms of electronic signatures is the fact that digital signatures can authenticate both the document and the identity of the receiver at the same time. Message authentications ensure the identity of the creator and the integrity of the document in transit while respecting copyrights and ownership of document at the same time. This can be done either by creating electronic signatures or a Message Authentication Code (MAC). A digital signature naturally requires longer time to be generated and read than MAC. The only problem with this set up is there is no way of telling the identity of the person who actually send out the document. This can be rectified by using a sender/recipient authentication to ensure both the sender and the receiver is who they claimed to be.
A digital signature will also lend credibility to a business, as a person with a digital signature is verified to be who he or she claimed to be. The very verification effort reflects the genuine interest of a business or individual.
This arrangement work by relying on both holder of the secret key to guard his or her information and not expose it to anyone. The codes for a digital signature are purposely made to be long and messy, making it extremely hard to remember. However, when there are grounds for suspicion that a digital signature has been compromised; a private key revocation can be done by informing the issuer of the CA.
Digital Signature
The Popularity of Digital Signatures
