Security features 

A digital signature provides more security than an electronic signature. The unique identifying technique “fingerprint” data put in a digital signature remains permanently stuck within a document. Signatures that someone has already tampered with or altered a document after signing it can be detected easily. By the use of encryption verification technology which is known as the Public Key Infrastructure or PKI, the digital signature provides the highest and the most verifiable standard to identify an individual by the electronic signature. The coded message put in a digital signature has a unique ability to identify the signer and it links the person with a particular recorded document. The procedures meet all the PKI requirements for the signing process to be safe and maintained.

The Digital signatures act using public-key cryptography. Public key cryptography is a cryptographic method through using a key pair system i.e. private and public. The private key works to encrypt the data and is available to the signer only. The public key acts to decrypt the data pertaining to the digital document and is given only to the receiver. Both the parties should have a registered digital certificate issued from a certificate issuing authority in order to connect the signers and their signatures. The Public key cryptography assures the security, accuracy, and last but not the least, the authenticity of the document that is signed. Encryption is a process of encoding the data sent to the receiver in a form so that can only be decoded by the receiver’s end. Authentication is a process of validating the data from the sender that it is genuine and has not been altered or tempered in the transit process. Like the handwritten signatures are unique, every signer is provided with a unique digital identity from any trusted service provider. When that signer signs a document, the signer’s identity is validated by the authentication process and the signature is encrypted using the public key infrastructure technology.

The security features embedded in the digital signature ensures that a document is not altered or tempered and those signatures are legitimate. The Security features and methods used in digital signatures are discussed below:

PIN, password, and code: These are used to authenticate and verify the signee’s identity and after that, it is approved their signature. The email, username, and password are common.

Time stamping: Time stamping provides the date and time of a signature. Timestamping is very useful while the timing of a digital signature is critical like stock trades or lottery ticket issuance and the legal procedures.

Asymmetric cryptography: Asymmetric cryptography employs a public key algorithm including private and public key encryption or authentication.

Checksum: Checksum is a long string of letters and numbers representing the sum of the correct digits within a piece of digital data, against which comparisons can be made easily in order to detect the errors or changes. It acts as a data fingerprint.

Cyclic Redundancy Checking or CRC: CRC is an error-detecting code and verification feature that is used in digital networks and storage devices in order to detect changes to the raw data.

Certificate authority or CA validation: Certifying Authorities generally issue digital signatures. It acts as a trusted third-party by accepting, authenticating, issuing, and maintaining the digital certificates. The usage of the CAs helps to avoid the creation of a fake digital certificate.

Trust Service Provider or TSP validation: A TSP is such a person or legal entity performing the validation of a digital signature on the company’s behalf and also offers the signature validation reports.