This blog explains what a Digital Signature means and what the process of attaining a Digital Signature Certificate is like. It further discusses the need, importance and benefits of a Digital Signature and finally states who can issue a Digital Signature Certificate.
The age of digitisation is here and thriving and, in its lore, have arrived the digitisation of most things we have always considered to be physically available, be it drives, certificates, results, bills, inventories, receipts and now signatures too! The purpose of signatures majorly emanates from the need for documents and resources to be viably available, that is, come from a relevant and most preferably original first-hand, and straight from the owner of the resource. The levelling up to digitisation can be counted as somewhat mandatory because the world is no stranger to forgery and data-thefts and deceit. In this blog get to know about the dsc authentication.
To keep the dissemination of information and granting of permission safe and in the hands of the right people, is imperative for all the right reasons as one can already guess, as besides verifying the source and ascertaining the correct sender and receiver link, it also unconditionally disembarks circumstances from any data-tampering off shoot that could arise, otherwise.
What Is a DSC?
The age-old and yet relevant method of attesting a document as one’s own before it is delivered to the respective receiver or party, by writing the name or initials in a uniquely identifiable way, which proclaims the authority of the sender or the owner over the item or documents (such as important business, tax, trade files or sale cheques etc is known to be as a DSC, short for Digital Signature Certificate.
Since the already suggestive name of the Digital Signature Certificate implicitly describes the electronic transmission of DSC from the sender to the receiver, it is also of much importance to note that the storage of the same shall also be digital and facilitated through online means. In recent times, the online formularisation of work and generation of documents, plans, indentures, and reports over the internet, has almost necessitated the adaptation of a digital form of signature- better known as fingerprints or message digest, or a unique code or key for the same, which is indicative of the owning of document created or being sent.
This way, a digital signature that contains the owner or sender’s name, the country they reside in, (other information like the zip code, and email addresses), and most importantly the issue date of the certificate and the authoritative declaration of the owner, has been found out to be much more feasible than the manual process proved to be. Of late, they have evidently proved to be much more efficient, economical, and time-saving. Read more to know about the dsc authentication.
The authentication of these signatures is just as imperative, and is done quite differently to the conventional methods practised, for obvious reasons.
Reasons for the Requirement of Authentication of a Digital Signature Certificate
A few authentication processes are required to ensure the technical and individual details of the owner or sender:
- It primarily ensures that the one who proclaims to create is indeed the creator of the file or document
- Next, it ensures in case of payments, etc, that the person who claims to have issued a payment in the receiver’s name, did actually intend to initiate the paywall.
- It measures a certain level of data and the sender’s physical integrity.
- Besides the authentication check provided by a Digital Signature Certificate (as a much-required privacy encryption feature that serves as an identity and intention proof), it also in furtherance of the process of the document/ contact or on receiving of the payment, sends out messages of tampering or data counterfeiting, etc, if the security code or signature can’t be accessed through by the same details, or authorization key to the DS as provided to the receiver.
How Does a Digital Signature Certificate Work?
The features of a Digital Signature Certificate are rather different from conventional storage and transmission. The digital signature works by a total of three characteristics, namely:
- Message Integrity- Message integrity (in cryptography) refers to the prevention of tampering with the contents of the documents or files transmitted digitally by the owner to the receiver, by any third party. A document essentially with a Digital Signature cannot be accessed by anyone or opened and tampered with. Only the recipient who happens to know the sender’s information and the public key may have the access to the document and decode the digital signature.
- Message Authentication- A message authentication code is unique to each sender. No one user can imitate the signature or access another’s document with a public key that isn’t specifically just theirs.
- Message Repudiation- Non-repudiation or indisputability is offered by the involvement of a third party in the equation of two, a sender and a receiver. When the digital document is sent sealed by the verified user and their Digital Signature Certificate, and sent to the receiving party, the trusted third party saves the identity details of both the sender and receiver. Here it alters the signature and reverts the document back to the initial sender, along with the new public key to access the document and the initial receiver’s public key details that the third party made up. This way, the private keys remain safe for both parties while the status of accessibility remains non-repudiated too.
Perks of a DSC
As mentioned earlier, the main purpose to obtain a digital signature certificate is to have a digitized authentication and identity proving signature of one’s own for swift exchange and plenty of contracts or document signing that comes around especially when most of the official work takes place digitally. Owning a DCS saves the individual from a lot of hassle incurred otherwise from the manual methods.
Advantages of a Digital Signature Certificate
- Online transactions in business: when one owns a digital signature certificate, they can “seal” a document carrying the sender and recipient details in it. This prevents any mishandling of data or information, and saves important monetary transaction information dissemination to unknown, unwarranted, and unguaranteed third parties, who could threaten the security or worse, tamper and steal the details.
- The protection offered to data added security benefits: There are three kinds of certificates, one that signs, one that encrypts, and one that signs and encrypts both. The simple sign certificate is usually for data or document transmission which has little to no risks. It is usually used in internal company work where it is just necessary for the sender to provide the right kind of details about themselves and not made-up ones. It offers a basic cross-checking of information. Encryption, on the other hand, provides medium security to data transmission, and is usually used in cases like taxes, and audits where the digitized documents are encrypted, so that information is not infringed upon on reaching the recipient or before. Sign and Encryption are high data and document security.
- Economical and a time-saving process: The class 3 digital signature Certificate doesn’t demand the incessant printing and wiring and paperwork, as manual drafting and other earlier practices would demand. Being digital, there is little to no inefficiency in the work process and time consuming as the encrypted security key is sent across to the recipient without the expenditure of paperwork, time, and postage.
Who Can Issue a Digital Signature Certificate?
A Certificate Authority (CA) that holds a license for the same, can help issue an individual dealing with digitalized transactions or documentation or formularisation of information in the workplace. The Certificate Authority shall sign the DSC for their respective clients, and is also responsible for maintaining a record of the validity period of each of these certificates, as these are not valid or viable for indefinite periods of time. The time of validity varies from a year to three years and an individual who is interested in renewing their Digital Signature Certificate must do so by paying the Certificate Authority the respective fee for the time duration they need the certificate renewed for.
Conclusion
The world has pace-up and levelled up greatly and almost unrecognizably, slowly but steadily outgrowing its past processes and ways. It is not unknown to us how quickly newer practices have replaced and taken over the old, be it in infotech or business or in our daily routine and lifestyle. Ease and comfort are the new work languages where there is always more accommodation for what is yet to be achieved and shorter stoppages at what has already been attained.
Though older practices breed familiarity for many, we need to learn and change with the times. In today’s age of digitization, older methods of security and data protection might not be half as effective. To stay on the move with the times, to look out for the safeguarding of information and no compromise on data and resources, one must try and incorporate alongside the digitization of their workplace, the digitized version of security custom developed to ascertain data-safety for every individual.
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