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Difference Between Digital Signature and Digital Certificate
An attachment to an electronic document that can be viewed as a signature is referred to as a digital signature. It is used to prevent the unauthorized alterations in a document. Thus, a digital signature is created for encrypting the document. On the other hand, the medium which is provided to validate the identity of a user for an electronic transaction is referred to as a digital certificate. Digital certificates are used to provide protection against unauthorized data exchange from user to websites.
The most basic difference between a digital signature and a digital certificate is that a digital signature is used to verify the authenticity of a specific document, whereas a digital certificate is used to create an identity for a website. Read this article to find out more about digital signatures and digital certificates and how they are different from each other.
What is a Digital Signature?
A Digital signature is basically a digital code which is created and validated by the public key encryption. It is a mathematical scheme for verifying the authenticity of digital messages or documents.
The digital signature is based on the RSA algorithm and public key cryptography that depends upon two mutually authenticating cryptographic keys.
The sender creates the digital signature using his/her own private key to encrypt signature−related data.
To decrypt the data, the signer's public key is used which is the only key to decrypt it.
The digital signature is attached to an electronically transmitted document verifying its contents and the sender's identity to authenticate him. It is mainly used for software distribution, financial transactions, and contract management software.
What is a Digital Certificate?
A Digital certificate is an electronic certificate that is issued to verify the authenticity of a user. Thus, it is used for verifying the user sending a message is who he or she claims to be, and also to provide the receiver with the means to encode a reply. Whoever wants to send encrypted messages applies for a digital certificate from a Certificate Authority (CA). A digital certificate allows entities to share their public key in an authenticated way.
Digital certificates are used in initializing and establishing secure SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) connections between web browsers and web servers.
Difference between Digital Signature and Digital Certificate
The following table highlights how a digital signature is different from a digital certificate −
| S. No. | Digital Signature | Digital Certificate |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | It helps in verifying the authenticity of a specific document. | It helps in creating an identity for a website. |
| 2. | It also helps in verifying the source of a specific document. | It also improves the trustworthy nature of the website. |
| 3. | Digital signature creation process includes encryption and decryption using asymmetric keys. | A digital certificate can be issued by a trusted agency known as the CA. The CA follows specific steps such as key generation, registration, verification and creation. |
| 4. | It helps provide authentication, non−repudiation and integrity. | It helps provide authentication and security. |
| 5. | Digital signature of a certificate authority is verified on a digital certificate. | Digital certificate is a digital signed document, and can be used to sign other documents digitally. |
Conclusion
Both digital signatures and digital certificates are used to ensure the authenticity of a digital document. But, they are completely different from each other as specified in the above table. The most significant different between a digital signature and a digital certificate is that a digital signature is used to protect a document from tempering, whereas a digital certificate is used to increase the trustworthiness of a website.
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