Definition. A digital signature functions for electronic documents a handwritten signature does for printed documents. The signature is an unforgivable piece of data that asserts that a named person wrote or otherwise agreed to the document to which the signature is attached.   

A digital signature actually provides a greater degree of security than a handwritten signature. The recipient of a digitally signed message can verify both that the message originated from the person whose signature is attached and that the message has not been altered either internationally or accidentally since it was signed. Furthermore, secure digital signatures cannot be repudiated; the signer of a document cannot later disown it by claiming the signature was forged.

In other words, Digital Signatures enable “authentication” of digital messages, assuring the recipient of a digital message of both the identity of the sender and the integrity of the message. The requirement form the digital signatures are following:

(i)    The signature must be a bit pattern that is dependent on the message being signed.

(ii) To prevent forgery and denial, the signature must use some information unique to the sender.

(iii) The digital signature must be easy to generate.

(iv) The storage of a copy of the digital copy must be simple.

(v)  Forging the signature must be computationally infeasible i.e., either by constructing a fraudulent signature for a given message, or contracting a new message with an existing signature.

(vi) The signature must be easy to verify and recognize.

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