Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumInformation Technology and Cybersecurity

In public key infrastructure (PKI) and digital transaction security, which technical process is specifically performed by the sender to create a valid Digital Signature on an electronic document?

  1. Encrypting the cryptographic hash of the document using the sender's private keyAnswer
  2. B
    Encrypting the entire raw document content using the recipient's public key
  3. C
    Decrypting a shared secret key using a symmetric block cipher algorithm
  4. D
    Hashing the recipient's private key combined with the plain text document

Answer

The correct process for generating a Digital Signature is encrypting the cryptographic hash of the document using the sender's private key.
Generating a digital signature requires taking a cryptographic hash digest of the original document and encrypting that digest using the sender's private key. This operation ensures data integrity, authenticates the sender, and guarantees non-repudiation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Calculate the document digest
A fixed-length cryptographic hash (e.g., via SHA-256) is computed from the document content.
Hashing ensures data integrity because any minor modification in the source document alters the hash digest.
2
Apply sender asymmetric encryption
The hash digest is encrypted using the sender's private key, generating the Digital Signature.
Only the legitimate key owner holds the private key, binding their identity to the signature and establishing non-repudiation.
3
Signature Verification Process
The recipient decrypts the signature using the sender's public key and compares it against the re-calculated document hash.
A match confirms that the document was neither modified in transit nor forged by an unauthorized party.

Key Concept

Digital Signatures, Asymmetric Cryptography, and Non-repudiation in PKI
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Information Technology and Cybersecurity

More questions from this topic