Facts About Digital Signature Software

A digital signature takes the concept of traditional paper-based signing and turns it into a digital "fingerprint". Digital signature software enables you to easily migrate from cumbersome paper-based processes to a secure and efficient paper-free environment.

This digital "fingerprint", or coded message, is unique to both the signer and the document. This ensures that the person who signed is indeed the originator of the message. This fingerprint cannot be reused or reassigned to anyone else at any time. The digital signature authenticates the originator of the message and ascertains that the message has not been modified after sending.

If any changes were made to the document after it was signed, they would automatically invalidate the signature, thereby protecting against forgery.

Digital signature software helps organizations sustain signer authenticity, accountability, data integrity, and non-repudiation of documents and transactions.

What is the difference between electronic signature software and digital signature software?

There is a clear difference between electronic and digital signatures, though these terms are often used interchangeably:

Digital signature software (sometimes referred to as Advanced or Secure Electronic Signatures) is a result of a cryptographic operation. The technology behind digital signature software is an industry standard known as Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which guarantees data integrity and non-repudiation of transactions. The digital signature cannot be copied, tampered, or altered. On the other hand, electronic signature software contains electronic images that are physically or logically attached to the signed data. Adding a sentence “I, John Doe, sign this document” is good enough to be considered as an electronic signature; however, it is clear that electronic signatures are easy to forge, unlike Digital Signatures.

Contact us here to learn more about the differences between digital signature software and electronic signature software.

What is CoSign®?

CoSign is ARX's simple-to-use and quick to deploy, digital signature software solution that delivers an innovative way to digitally sign documents, files, forms, and transactions, while enforcing iron-clad protection against signature forgery. With CoSign, organizations can easily sign in numerous applications such as Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, TIFF images, and leading Content Management Systems. CoSign digital signature software “seals” an electronic document, ensuring the authenticity, integrity, and confidentiality of the electronic transaction, guaranteeing non-repudiation.

Digital Signature Software

CoSign introduces a graphical and digital signature software solution that merges both digital technologies and electronic graphical signatures (see illustration). .

This combination offers both non-forgeable digital signatures and visual identification of the signer, using his/her visual graphical signature. CoSign provides users with an electronic representation (graphical image) of their handwritten signature which integrates with digital signature software on the electronic document. Both the graphical signature image and the digital signature are secure and easily deployed. The signature can also be validated ensuring the authenticity of the user.

CoSign generates digital signatures based on the "Public Key Infrastructure" (PKI) industry standard, also known as asymmetric cryptography. In a PKI system, each user has a key pair -- a private key and a public key. These keys can be used for encrypting and decrypting information, for digitally signing electronic information, and for verifying the authenticity of their owner. The Private Key, as the name implies, is solely kept and used by the signer and stored securely, in CoSign’s secure hardware device. The private key is used for signing, thereby adding a unique "digital fingerprint" to the document, while the public key is made available to other people who use it to validate the digital signature generated from the private key.

These keys can be used for encrypting and decrypting important data, e.g., to scramble and unscramble the details of a bank transaction sent over public networks. The owner of the private key can digitally sign electronic information, while the holder of the corresponding public key can use it to verify the authenticity of the signature. CoSign provides robust security for issuing and managing the private-public key pairs, ensuring very strong authentication, integrity, and non-repudiation.

Digital signature software technology employs a cryptographic function known as “hashing” for both creating and validating a digital signature. The hash function is an algorithm, which creates a digital representation or "digital fingerprint" (referred to as a message digest) which is unique to the signer. The digital signature is then appended to the message which is sent to the recipient. Any further changes made to the contents of the message will result in digital signature corruption.

Users are certified by a Certification Authority (CA) or a trusted third party which assures the identity of the signer. CoSign has the ability to act as a CA. In a PKI system, the public key is distributed widely, while the corresponding private key is held by its owner on a secure media (protected computer, token, smartcard). While both keys are mathematically related, the public key cannot reveal the private key. The strength of PKI is greatly enhanced by the CoSign solution which consists of a tamper-proof hardware appliance for centralized key generation, storage and signing operations together with software components for integration with various 3rd party applications (such as Microsoft Office), and User Management Systems (such as Active Directory). ARX’s patented technologies are changing the industry’s perception of PKI from something complicated and expensive, to digital signature software technology that is simple-to-use and easy to manage thanks to CoSign.

How it works

The following example refers to the illustration below: When Bob wants to send a document to Alice, he signs it with his private key. A mathematical function is then performed resulting in a Document Hash or message digest (Step 1-2). The document hash is digitally signed inside the CoSign appliance using Bob's private key and appended to the message (Step 4). The digital signature software is a result of a RSA signature operation on the hash value.

Bob then sends the original document, along with the digital signature (digital fingerprint) and his Public Key to Alice (Step 4 – 5). Alice ensures the document actually came from Bob using the public key, which applies a certain computation method to the signature (known as digital signature verification). The hash value of the received message is calculated and compared to the hash value created above (step 1-2). Results are compared to see if Bob’s document hash matches Alice’s calculated hash. If it does, then Bob’s signature is authentic and validated. If the hashes do not match, this can indicate impersonation or that the document was been changed from the time that Bob signed it.

Since only Bob has access to his Private Key, and since this key cannot be computed from the Public Key, data-integrity and non-repudiation are ensured. This process also enforces signer accountability. In other words, in a courtroom the signer can never claim he/she had not signed the document.

Traditional PKI Standard-based solutions are expensive and difficult to deploy. The PKI environment consists of many components: Certificate Authority (CA), key-storage device (hardware or software), management application, and signing applications (workflow application, ERP, mail, others. Integrating all these players and components has proven to be a lengthy, complex, and prohibitive process. ARX's vision is to make PKI affordable and easy-to-use for all companies, large and small. ARX, with its patented technologies, has changed the PKI environment, by designing CoSign, a simple-to-use and cost-effective digital signature software solution.

CoSign is quick to deploy and offers ALL the components of a digital signature software solution in one box. Click here to learn more about Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) solutions.

oSign solves complex deployment problems and dramatically reduces the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of deploying digital signature software. CoSign enables new users to automatically enroll in the PKI system (i.e. it creates the keys, issues digital certificates, and renews them) ensuring that the system is always simple and easy-to-use. Organizations have the option to manage their users either inside CoSign or through Microsoft Active Directory and Novel NDS.

What are the benefits of implementing digital signatures?

With CoSign digital signature software you can be reassured that your electronic documents are even more secure than your paper documents. No more printing an electronic form into paper, waiting for a signed paper to arrive, or chase after a signature. Simply click the Sign icon and send your electronic document anywhere, any time.

Seamless, secure, and easy to use, CoSign lets you digitally sign documents with the click of a mouse. It’s the perfect digital signature software appliance that enhances, seals, and streamlines traditional paper processes!

Facts and Figures:

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