Digital signatures are getting more popular in the digital world to boost efficiency. It uses advanced algorithms to protect the integrity of your files. To make you learn more about this signature, this article talks about what is a digital signature.
What Is Digital Signature
A digital signature is an advanced mathematical technique used to verify the authenticity of the file. A digitally signed document guarantees that the file content isn’t tampered with during transmission. Just like an electronic signature, it shares the same function as a handwritten signature to bind a person or entity to digital data like PDF documents.
Adding a digital signature now is one of the main methods to ensure the security and integrity of the file data. It is common to see those signatures in PDF files and emails.
How Does Digital Signature Work
A digital signature needs asymmetric cryptography which implements the public key algorithm. When using asymmetric cryptography, a private key and a public key are generated. The former is kept by the sender, while the latter is shared with the recipient.
After sending a digitally signed document, the private key encrypts the digest, a unique array of letters and numbers generated from the file in transit. And the encrypted digest is the digital signature. Then the recipient decrypts the signature with the public key to get the digest, making sure the file comes from the real sender. Later, to check the integrity of the file, the recipient will compare whether the digest is the same.
Why You Use Digital Signature
Digital signatures are important for contracts, bills, and other documents. The major advantages of digitally signing a file are listed below:
- Enhance file security: Asymmetric cryptography ensures your documents are not accessed by an unauthorized third party.
- Keep integrity: It protects the file from altering or tampering during transmission.
- Provide non-repudiation: A digitally signed document provides strong evidence that the sender cannot deny his/her involvement.
How to Add Digital Signature to PDF Files
When it comes to adding a digital signature to PDF files, Adobe Acrobat is the optimal choice. This industry-leading PDF program helps you digitally sign a PDF document smoothly to protect your file data.
To add a digital signature to a PDF, open the file in Adobe Acrobat and click the pen icon from the toolbar. Choose “Add Signature” below the “Sign Yourself” tab. Then select a way to draw a signature and click “Apply”. Hover the created signature to the place you like and click on it to digitally sign your PDF.
If you want to digitally sign a PDF file online, go to iLovePDF and choose “Sign PDF”. Import the file and select who to sign the document. Create a signature and tap “Apply”. Select “Digital Signature”. Click on the signature and drag the text box to the place you want. Finally, click “Sign”.
