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A digital signature is
an electronic signature that can be used to authenticate the identity
of the sender of a message or the signer of a document, and to ensure
that the original contents are unchanged.
How it works
A sender encrypts the hash of the message
with his/her private key and attaches it to the message. The recipient
uses the sender's public key to decrypt the hash, which is then
compared with the hash value of the actual message received. If
the hashes match, the message is from the sender and has not been
modified.
Non-repudiation
As it is impossible for someone else to intimate the digital signature
or to tamper with the signed content, a person cannot easily repudiate
a digitally signed message or document. The use of a digital signature
is as legally valid and binding as a traditional signature written
on paper.
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