11.12.2020 20:17

What does your business need to know about digital signatures for email, documents and code signing. Check it out at IndustryToday magazine. What is a digital signature?
Simply put, a digital signature is a type of electronic seal that leverages public key infrastructure (PKI) to authenticate the identity of the signer. The signature is created by generating a hash, which is encrypted using a sender’s private key. Like a virtual ID card, the signature is then attached to the data, which will confirm to any system that inquires that the data was submitted by the sender.
The signature is uniquely linked to the signer and cannot be recreated or duplicated. Any tampering with the data while it is in transit will be detected, ensuring integrity. The system also maintains an audit log detailing the signing process. Taken together, these factors mean that an author cannot dispute data’s authorship or validity, which is particularly important in contract signing.