Digital Signature certificate

A digital signature certificate (DSC) is a secure digital key issued by a certifying authority (CA) to validate and certify the identity of the person or organization holding it. A DSC contains your encrypted public key, name, and other identifying information, which creates a secure, legally valid "fingerprint" for online transactions. 

How a digital signature works

A DSC is based on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which uses two mathematically linked cryptographic keys:

• Private key: A secret key known only to the signer, used to create the digital signature.
• Public key: A key that is openly shared and used by recipients to verify the digital signature. 

The process involves these steps:

1. Creation: When you sign a document, a unique hash (a secure electronic fingerprint) of the document is created. Your private key then encrypts this hash to create the digital signature.
2. Transmission: The digitally signed document is sent to the recipient, along with your DSC containing your public key.
3. Verification: The recipient's software uses your public key to decrypt the digital signature. It then creates a new hash of the document and compares it to the decrypted hash. If the two hashes match, the signature is valid. 
4. Advantages of using a DSC
5. Enhanced security: The use of encryption makes DSCs more secure than wet signatures, with a lower risk of forgery or tampering.
6. Legal validity: DSCs are legally recognized for online transactions in many countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and India, under specific regulations.
7. Authentication: It serves as proof of identity, confirming that an individual or organization is who they claim to be.
8. Data integrity: A digital signature proves that the document has not been altered or tampered with after being signed.