An electronic document is said to be secure
where any security procedure has been applied to the electronic document at a
specific point of time. Such a document is deemed to be secure till the time of
verification. But there is no presumption about the integrity and authenticity
of the electronic record. To create a legally bound electronic document is
technologically complex. A legally enforceable electronic document must pass
the test of authentication, non-repudiation, confidentiality, and information
integrity during transmission or storage. The key element in the authentication
of a paper-based document is the signature of the contracting persons. Likewise
an electronic signature is the key in an electronic record. The equivalent
electronic signature is referred to as digital signature. A digital signature
is to identify the sender of the electronic record, authenticate the originator
of the message and to certify that the message could not have been tampered
with during the course of its transmission. The process of making the
information unintelligible to the unauthorized reader is known as encryption of
data. The process of making the information readable once again is known as
decryption of data. The science of Cryptography is made up of encryption and
decryption. There are two types of Cryptographic systems - symmetric and
asymmetric. The symmetric Crypto system consists of both the sender and the
receiver having access and sharing a common 'Key' to encrypt or decrypt a
message. The asymmetric Crypto system is a more a secure system. This system
uses two keys. The originator of the document keeps one of the keys known as
the 'Private key' and the other key is sent to the recipient of the message.
The recipient affixes the digital signature when he uses the public key to open
the message sent to him. Thus the combination of the Public Key and the Private
Key provide both confidentiality and authentication, which enables for secure
electronic transmission.
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