Cyber Law week 9

Key features of Digital Signature

A digital signature is characterized by a unique feature that is in digital form like fingerprint that is embedded in a document. The signer is required to have a digital certificate so that he or she can be linked to the document. Digital signature is often authorized by certification authorities that are responsible for providing digital certificates that can be compared to licenses or passports. A digital certificate is used to validate the document to ascertain its authenticity if it has not been forged. This plays a pivotal role in verifying the identity of the original person with the signature.

The other key feature of a digital signature is that it is used to secure digital documents. There are some people who have a tendency of tempering with digital documents obtained online but with a digital signature, this can be impossible. The document is secured and can only be accessed by the authorized person for any alterations or amendments.

When a digital signature is applied to a certain document, the digital certificate is bound to the data being signed into one unique fingerprint. These two components of the digital signature are unique and this makes it more viable than wet signatures since its origins can be authenticated. This cryptographic operation helps to perform the following functions:

  • Prove the authenticity of the document and its source
  • Make sure that the document has not been tempered with
  • Personal identity has been verified.

The other notable aspect about digital signature is that it is comprised of different types that are supported by mainly two document processing platforms that are adobe and Microsoft.

Adobe Signature

Certified and approval are the two types of signatures supported by adobe

  • A certified signature indicates the real author of the document and it displays a blue ribbon on top of it showing the name of author and issuer of certificate for authentication.
  • Approval signature on the other hand captures the approval made by the signer such as physical signature and other relevant details.

Microsoft Word Signature

Two types of digital signature that supported by Microsoft include visible as well as non visible.

  • Signature line is like a physical document where many people can sign.
  • Invisible signatures on the other hand are used for providing document authentication. The main advantage of this type of signature is that it cannot be tampered with and this is very important since it helps to secure the document so that it cannot be accessed by unauthorized people.

Key Features of Electronic signature

An electronic signature is described as any electronic symbol, process or sound that is associated with a record or contract where there is intention to sign the document by the party involved. The major feature of an electronic signature is thus the intention to sign the document or the contract. The other notable aspect that makes an electronic signature different from a digital signature is that an electronic signature can be verbal, a simple click of the box or any electronically signed authorization.

The main feature of an electronic signature is that it reveals the intent by the signer to sign the document. This is usually applicable to contracts or other related agreements that are entered into by two parties. As noted, there are different types of electronic signatures and these are legally binding once all parties have shown their commitment and intent to enter into a certain contract.

The other aspect about an electronic signature is that it helps to verify the document. If it has been signed, its authenticity can be verified where the parties involved can be identified. However, an electronic document can be difficult to verify given that a digital certificate similar to the one given for digital signature is not provided.

The other notable feature of an electronic signature is that it is used to execute an agreement. For instance, in a contract, two people usually agree to fulfill certain duties and this agreement can only become legally binding when it has been signed by both parties. This is when an electronic signature can be used. On top of that, it can be observed that electronic signatures are commonly used in contracts by virtue of the fact that they are easy to use.




Comments

  1. fizzune fatnin17 October 2020 at 21:47

    Good explanation and can insert more graphic to support your learning reflection in Week 8-9.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cyber Law Week 11

Image
 Cyber Law Week 11 WHAT IS PATENT ? A patent is a document issued by the government office which describes the invention and creates a legal situation in which the patented invention can normally only be exploited (made, used, sold, imported) by or with the authorization of the patentee. WHAT INVENTIONS ARE PATENTABLE ? An invention is a novel idea which permits in practice the solution of a specific problem in the field of technology. Under most legislations concerning inventions, the idea, in order to be protected by law ("PATENTABLE"), must be new in the sense that is has not already been published or publicly used, it must be "non-obvious" in the sense that it would not have occurred to any specialist in the particular industrial fields, had such a specialist been asked to find a solution to the particular problem and it must be "applicable in industry" in the sense that it can be industrially manufactured or used. WHAT THE PATENT ACT 1983 PROVIDES ? M...
Read more

Cyber Law Week 10

Image
 Cyber Law Week 10 Copyright Infringement   Copyright infringement is when someone other than the copyright owner copies the “expression” of a work without the owner’s permission Copyright Act 1987  A unique feature of the Act is the inclusion of provisions for enforcing the Act, which include such powers to enter premises suspected of having infringing copies and to search and seize infringing copies and contrivances. Types:- Direct infringement  Contributory infringement  Vicarious infringement a)  Direct Infringement occurs when a person without authorization makes, uses, offers to sell or sells any patented invention within the United States or imports into the United States any patented invention during the term of the patent therefor b)  Contributory copyright infringement is a way of imposing secondary liability for infringement of a copyright. It is a means by which a person may be held liable for copyright infringement even though he or s...
Read more

Cyber Law Week 13

 Cyber Law Week 13 A Taxonomy for Cybercrime Attack in the Public Cloud Public cloud users interact online or offline using natural language. While the language used could be in Xhosa, English, Afrikaans, Zulu or Ndebele, the core component is communication. Therefore, natural language is the language that people speak, listen to and understand. This is the same language that a public cloud user, uses to interact with another human and/or machine components of the public cloud. Meanwhile the same natural language is sometimes used by cybercrime attackers to achieve their aims when targeting users of the public cloud. The targeting of the users could be attributed to the user’s basic knowledge of the public cloud when seeking information or relationship formation, thereby unintentionally revealing points of vulnerabilities that often expose them to cybercrime attacks. A challenge to traditional digital forensic processes in the public cloud environment is the inability to retrieve a...
Read more