Discussion and generation of digital signature and analysis of its advantages

0x01 Overview of digital signatures

digital signature （ Public key digital signature ） Only the sender of information can produce a digital string that others can't forge , Is a scheme for verifying the authenticity of digital messages or documents , This digital string is also an effective proof of the authenticity of the information sent by the sender .

A valid digital signature that meets the prerequisites assures the recipient that the message was created by a known sender , Provides the authenticity of the information , And the message has not been changed during transmission , Provides information integrity .

Digital signature can also be called electronic signature , But pay attention to ： Not all electronic signatures are called digital signatures .

 

Digital signatures are a standard element of most cryptographic protocol suites , Commonly used for software distribution 、 financial transactions 、 Contract management software , And other situations requiring detection of forgery or tampering .

Digital signature is usually used to implement electronic signature , This includes any electronic data with the intention of signing , But not all electronic signatures use digital signatures . Electronic signature has legal significance in some countries , Including Canada 、 South Africa 、 The United States 、 Algeria 、 Turkey 、 India 、 Brazil 、 Indonesia 、 Mexico 、 Saudi Arabia 、 Uruguay 、 Switzerland 、 Chile and EU countries .

0x02 Digital signature generation

The generation of digital signature is divided into three mechanisms , The first is the key generation algorithm , Generate a private key randomly in a group of private keys ; Signature algorithm , Used to generate a signature when the output private key and the message being signed ; Last , Signature verification algorithm , The algorithm checks the authenticity of the verification message together with the signature and public key .

All digital signatures are electronic , But not all electronic signatures are digital .

Digital signature just encrypts the data of the document to make it more secure , There are also a wider range of file types for colleague digital signatures , for example ： video 、 voice 、 Music, etc .

0x03 Security functions and methods used in digital signature

• Personal identification number (PIN)、 Password and code ： Used to verify and verify the identity of signers and approve their signatures .
• Asymmetric cryptography ： Adopt the public key algorithm including private key and public key encryption and authentication .
• The checksum ： A long string of letters and numbers , Represents the sum of correct numbers in a piece of numeric data , They can be compared to detect errors or changes . Checksums act as data fingerprints .
• Cyclic redundancy check (CRC)： Error detection codes and verification functions for detecting changes in raw data in digital networks and storage devices .
• Certification authority (CA) verification ：CA By accepting 、 authentication 、 Issue and maintain digital certificates to publish digital signatures and act as trusted third parties .
• Trust the service provider (TSP) verification ：TSP It is an individual or legal entity that performs digital signature verification on behalf of the company and provides a signature verification report .

0x04 The advantages of digital signature

• Time stamp ： By providing digitally signed data and time , Timestamps are very useful when time is critical , For example, stock trading 、 Lottery issuance and legal proceedings .
• Global acceptance and legal compliance ： Public key infrastructure (PKI) Standards ensure that vendor generated keys are securely created and stored . Due to international standards , More and more countries accept that digital signatures are legally binding .
• Save time ： Digital signatures simplify time-consuming physical document signatures 、 Storage and exchange procedures , Enable organizations to quickly access and sign documents .
• Cost savings ： Organizations can be paperless , And save time previously spent on physical resources and on managing and transporting those resources 、 Funds for people and office space .
• traceability ： Digital signatures create an audit trail , Make it easier to keep internal records . Because all content is digitally recorded and stored , The chance of manual signers or recorders making mistakes or misplacing is reduced .

References:
https://blog.signaturit.com/en/what-is-a-digital-signature
https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/digital-signature