An electronic signature, also called an electronic signature, is a digital signature that is digitally linked to other information in electronic format and that is used exclusively by the signer to authenticate and sign documents. It is considered to be more secure than a regular signature because it is protected from loss by the sender of the mail or other electronic communication. An electronic signature has many benefits for businesses that have a need for safe, secure transactions on a regular basis. These benefits include: speed, security, reduced risk of unauthorized access, compliance and reliability. Electronic signatures allow for electronic proof of a person's identity, which eliminates the need for a third party to verify the signature, which reduces the cost of processing credit cards and access control at the point of transaction.
With the widespread use of the Certificado electrónico in many fields including healthcare, retailing, legal and business documents, there are concerns about their security. E-signatures can be tampered with easily through software or hardware, and the information cannot be changed once it is stored. Additionally, in the case of electronic signatures, it is easy for a third party to decipher and manipulate the document without the sender's knowledge or consent. Electronic signatures are considered a beneficial standard but they are not 100 percent secure.
Because of these risks, some organizations are replacing traditional signatures with the Firma electrónica simple to reduce their risk exposure and increase the security of documents and transactions. Unfortunately, even a well-designed electronic signature can be defeated through technological means. For example, a hacker could break into the electronic signature stream used to confirm a document transfer, decypher it, and use it to make their own copy of the document. However, it is unlikely that most hackers have ever done this successfully.
A digital signature works only with a public key infrastructure (PKI) that stores, validates and verifies the digital signature of a user. When users create a document, such as a letter, they sign it using their fingerprints or other biometric information. Then, the document is stored in a database that can be accessed by software and other technology that are installed on computers and other devices. The software authenticates the signature using the stored private key. Once the user establishes that the signature belongs to them, the document is stored in the user's profile, along with a public key.
Once the document is stored, anyone can lookup the signature of the user at any time. With electronic signature, it is important that the document is stored in a location that is not publicly accessible.When a user creates a document using a typical computer keyboard and mouse, he is presenting a digitally-signed document that is stored on a remote server that authenticates the signature and stores it in a database. If a third party wants to verify the signature, they can do so by looking up the public key on the remote server and performing a match with the fingerprint that is stored in the database.
Users can also install digital signatures onto documents themselves, making them more difficult to copy or steal. Documents that have electronic signatures also make them easier to update. Some apps have built-in updates that use signatures as proofs of authenticity. For example, documents that have the Digital Signature logo are more difficult to copy than documents that do not have the logo. Using an electronic signature for authentication ensures that only the intended recipient can open and read the documents. Explore more about signatures here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_electronic_signature.