cryptomgmtlibs/securitydocs/doxygen_docs/Security_intro_signatures.dox
author MattD <mattd@symbian.org>
Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:07:39 +0000
changeset 18 7e3f204e6c81
parent 8 35751d3474b7
permissions -rw-r--r--
Added tag PDK_3.0.c for changeset 5ed53bb58874

/**
@page Security_signatures Digital signatures

A digital signature is used to verify that a message (or data) actually came from the sender (the one who signed the 
message) and that it has not been tampered with.

A signature is formed by producing a fixed-length digest (@ref hash) of the message using a hash algorithm, which is then 
encrypted using the sender's private key. This signature and the message are then sent to the recipient.

The receiver can then verify the signature as follows: a @ref hash is produced of the sender's message (using the hashing 
algorithm sent with the signature); also, using the sender's public key, their signature is decrypted into a @ref hash. 
These two hashes are compared: if they are the same, it is more or less certain that the public key used for the 
@ref decryption corresponds to the private key used to create the signature, thus data integrity is validated.


*/