Digital Signatures

Question 1

DSA

Answer 1

DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm)

A cryptographic method for verifying the authenticity of a message or document. It ensures the sender is legitimate and that the message hasn’t been tampered with, Used to create digital signatures, which ensure the integrity and authenticity of data.

1. Not well suited for data encryption (DSA is not an encryption algorithm).
2. Specifically designed for creating and verifying digital signatures.

Question 2

RSA

Answer 2

RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman)

A popular public-key encryption method. It’s used for securing data in transit and for digital signatures. A crypto-system that leverages the mathematical properties of large prime numbers to facilitate secure key exchange, secure communication, create digital signatures, and encrypt data (not symmetric).

1. Primarily used for secure communication and digital signatures.
2. Used for data encryption.

Question 3

ECDSA

Answer 3

ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm)

A digital signature algorithm based on elliptic curve cryptography (uses ECC for improved efficiency and security). It provides strong security for signing data with smaller key sizes, . It’s faster and more efficient than older methods like RSA.

1. Used for digital signatures.
2. Does not include a native encryption function.