Which description best defines a Digital Signature?

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Multiple Choice

Which description best defines a Digital Signature?

A digital signature is a cryptographic technique that provides authentication of digital messages or documents and ensures their integrity. It works by applying a cryptographic hash to the message and then encrypting that hash with the signer's private key. Anyone with the signer's public key can verify the signature; if the message is altered, verification will fail. This ensures who signed the item (authentication), that the content hasn’t been changed (integrity), and that the signer cannot easily deny having signed it (non-repudiation). In practice, clinicians can sign notes or prescriptions digitally, allowing recipients to confirm the author and that the document remains unmodified. It is not a device for capturing biometric signatures, not a streaming video protocol, and not a type of electronic health record.

A digital signature is a cryptographic technique that provides authentication of digital messages or documents and ensures their integrity. It works by applying a cryptographic hash to the message and then encrypting that hash with the signer's private key. Anyone with the signer's public key can verify the signature; if the message is altered, verification will fail. This ensures who signed the item (authentication), that the content hasn’t been changed (integrity), and that the signer cannot easily deny having signed it (non-repudiation). In practice, clinicians can sign notes or prescriptions digitally, allowing recipients to confirm the author and that the document remains unmodified. It is not a device for capturing biometric signatures, not a streaming video protocol, and not a type of electronic health record.

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