Frequntly Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is a Digital Signature Certificate?


Digital Signature Certificates (DSC) are the digital equivalent (that is electronic format) of physical or paper certificates. Few Examples of physical certificates are drivers' licenses, passports or membership cards. Certificates serve as proof of identity of an individual for a certain purpose; for example, a driver's license identifies someone who can legally drive in a particular country. Likewise, a digital certificate can be presented electronically to prove one’s identity, to access information or services on the Internet or to sign certain documents digitally.

A digital signature is a mathematical scheme for demonstrating the authenticity of digital messages or documents. A valid digital signature gives a recipient reason to believe that the message was created by a known sender (authentication), that the sender cannot deny having sent the message (non-repudiation), and that the message was not altered in transit (integrity)

Digital signatures are a standard element of most cryptographic protocol suites, and are commonly used for software distribution, financial transactions, contract management software, and in other cases where it is important to detect forgery or tampering.


2. Why is Digital Signature Certificate required?


Physical documents are signed manually, similarly, electronic documents, for example e-forms are required to be signed digitally using a Digital Signature Certificate. DSC also provides you with a high level of security for your online transactions by ensuring absolute privacy of the information exchanged using a Digital Signature Certificate. You can digitally sign information to assure the recipient that it has not been changed in transit, and also verify your identity as the sender of the message.


3. Who issues the Digital Signature Certificate?


A licensed Certifying Authority (CA) issues the digital signature. Certifying Authority (CA) means a person who has been granted a license to issue a digital signature certificate under Section 24 of the Indian IT-Act 2000. The list of licensed CAs along with their contact information is available on the CCA portal.


4. What are the different types of Digital Signature Certificate?


The different types of Digital Signature Certificates are: Class 2: Here, the identity of a person is verified against a trusted, pre-verified database. Class 3: This is the highest level where the person needs to present himself or herself in front of a Registration Authority (RA) and prove his/ her identity. DGFT : This DSC is for Export Import fraternity.


5. What is the validity period of a Digital Signature Certificate?


The Certifying Authorities are authorized to issue a Digital Signature Certificate with a validity of 1, 2 and 3 Years.


6. Why do I need a Digital Signature Certificate?


A Digital Signature Certificate authenticates your identity electronically. It also provides you with a high level of security for your online transactions by ensuring absolute privacy of the information exchanged using a digital certificate. You can use certificates to encrypt information such that only the intended recipient can read it. You can digitally sign information to assure the recipient that it has not been changed in transit, and also verify your identity as the sender of the message.


7. Where can I use Digital Signature Certificates?


You can use Digital Signature Certificates for the following: For secure email and web-based transactions, or to identify other participants of web-based transactions. To prove ownership of a domain name and establish SSL/ TLS encrypted secured sessions between your website and the user for web based transactions. As a developer, for proving authorship of a code and retaining integrity of the distributed software programs. For signing web forms, e-tendering documents, filing income tax returns, to access membership-based websites automatically without entering a user name and password etc.


8. What is the process of obtaining DSC?


There are two ways to obtain DSC
1) Through Application form- Need to fill the form and attach the supporting docs as required and submit it to us

2) Through Aadhaar eKYC- No form or supporting documents are required in this case. It is completely paperless.
Under Digital India Inititative, CCA has been introduced Aadhaar Based Paperless Digital Signature through eSign & eKYC of customer. eKYC is basically a way to authenticate User electronically with help of OTP. When User request OTP, UIDAI send an OTP to Customer on his registered Mobile Number / e-Mail ID. User need to enter the same during enrollment. Since there is a chance of compromise of OTP, to confirm the authentication of user Video Recording is mandatory to finish the transaction.

Buying Aadhaar Based Digital Signature Certificate is very easy and secure. With help eSign, User can digitally sign the online KYC form and authenticate himself with OTP. Aadhaar Based DSC is basically uses a two factor
Key Note : Mobile Number / e-Mail ID must be registered with your Aadhaar Card to apply eKYC Paperless DSC. Only "Individual User” Digital Signature Certificate can be enrolled through Aadhaar eKYC Paperless DSC Process. To get the organizational dsc need to submit the required docs.

9. What do you mean by the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)?


The PKI is the overall system of identifying parties on the Internet using their certificates. It is headed by a Certifying Authority that is responsible for issuing and verifying the validity of the Digital Signature Certificates.


10. What is Cryptography?


Cryptography is the science of enabling secure communications between a sender and one or more recipients. This is achieved by the sender scrambling a message (with a computer program and a secret key) and leaving the recipient to unscramble the message (with the same computer program and a key, which may or may not be the same as the sender's key). There are two types of cryptography: Secret/Symmetric Key Cryptography and Public Key Cryptography The emphasis of cryptography is on data confidentiality, data integrity, sender authentication, and non-repudiation of origin/data accountability.


11. What is encryption?


Encryption is the transformation of information from readable form into some unreadable form.


12. What is decryption?


Decryption is the reverse of encryption; it's the transformation of encrypted data back into some readable form.


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