What is Digital Signature?

Digital signatures are a way of identity authentication. A digital signature proves that a message comes from a specific person and is not from a different unit. A digital signature, also known as electronic signature, is an electronic data that is added to, or has a logical connection to, an electronic data used for authentication purposes. We can describe it as a legal authentication system, also known as a signature substitution feature on the web.

The digital signature ensures that the integrity of the transmitted information is not impaired and that the information is transmitted by authenticating the parties. The SSL infrastructure, encountered in web sites, is a digital signature prepared to establish trust between the user and the service provider.

When we take a look at the history of digital signature, the cryptography algorithm has been involved in making communication phases reliable. However, since the development of PKC, the Public Key Cryptography dates back to the 1970s, it has not been able to operate effectively until these years. To learn how digital signatures work, we need to take a look at Hash Functions and Public Key Cryptography.

Hash Functions

These functions are used to prove that the operations in the blockchain network are error-free. The original and the hash code of the digital signature are sent to the recipient. The receiver converts the digital signature to hash in its system and compares it with the incoming hash. If the digital signatures and the hash codes match, the operation functions without error.

Hash Functions, combined with cryptography, become cryptographic hash functions. You can use these operations to create a hash value that acts like a perfect digital fingerprint. This means that any change in the data within the input will result in a different hash value.

Public Key Cryptography (PKC)

PKC or Public Key Cryptography is a cryptography system that uses key pairs of a private key and a public key. Both keys are mathematically linked. Thus, it is used both for digital signature and for data signing.

Public Key Cryptography (PKC), as an encryption method, is more secure than various advanced methods of symmetric encryption. The systems before PKC were used to both encrypt and decrypt the same key. In PKC, data encryption is done with public key and decryption is done with corresponding private key.