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Digital Signature

What is Digital Signature?

A cryptographic mechanism that provides authentication, integrity, and non-repudiation for digital messages or documents. Digital signatures use public key cryptography to verify the sender's identity and ensure the content has not been altered.

Information Security

Terms that appear alongside digital signature

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as digital signature. The number is how many controls name both.

Frameworks that govern digital signature

ISO 27001:2022View framework →NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5View framework →

What the standards actually require on digital signature

Requirements naming digital signature across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

Australian Information Security Manual12 controls

When digital signatures are processed by software, they are validated against a certificate trust chain and checked for revocation using a Certificate Revocation List or with the Online Certificate Status Protocol.

ISM-2050 · Validating digital signatures and revocation →
Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite (CNSA) 2.02 controls

The asymmetric algorithm for digital signatures in any use case, including software and firmware signing, is ML-DSA (FIPS 204), previously CRYSTALS-Dilithium, at ML-DSA-87 to protect information up to TOP SECRET, as CNSSP 15 Annex B lists it among the general...

commercial-national-security-algorithm-suite-cnsa-2-0::ALG-DSA · ALG-DSA ML-DSA-87 (FIPS 204) for digital signatures in any use case; HashML-DSA, FN-DSA and SLH-DSA are not approved →
HL7 FHIR Security Framework2 controls

HL7 FHIR Audit + Provenance + Digital Signatures. AUDITEVENT LOGGING (FHIR-SEC-07 + FHIR-SEC-4.1) - FHIR AuditEvent Resource for structured audit logging + IETF RFC 3881 + IHE ATNA + DICOM Audit + comprehensive audit trail of: (a) authentication events;

HL7-FHIR-Audit-Provenance-DigitalSignatures-Integrity · HL7 FHIR Audit + Provenance + Digital Signatures + AuditEvent Resource + Audit Log Integrity + Retention →
ITU-T X.805 - Security Architecture for End-to-End Communications2 controls

Security Dimension 3 Non-Repudiation per X.805 Clause 6.3: Non-repudiation stops a person or entity from credibly denying that it carried out a given action on data, by keeping evidence of network-related actions available (for example evidence of an obligatio...

X805-Dim3-Non-Repudiation-Proof-Origin-Delivery-Sender-Receiver-Denial-Prevention · ITU-T X.805 Security Dimension 3 - Non-Repudiation + Proof of Origin + Proof of Delivery + Sender + Receiver Denial Prevention + Digital Signatures + Timestamping + Audit Logs + Forensic Evidence + Court-Admissible Records →
NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Standards (FIPS 203, 204, 205)2 controls

Implement FIPS 204 ML-DSA (Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm) based on CRYSTALS-Dilithium for digital signatures + authentication + non-repudiation.

PQC-3 · FIPS 204 ML-DSA Implementation - Module-Lattice Digital Signature →
New Zealand Information Security Manual (NZISM)7 controls

Agencies that use ECDSA for its approved purpose of digital signatures must implement the P-384 curve (prime moduli).

new-zealand-information-security-manual-nzism::17.2.23.C.01 · 17.2.23.C.01 ECDSA must use curve P-384 →

Questions people ask about digital signature

What is Digital Signature?
A cryptographic mechanism that provides authentication, integrity, and non-repudiation for digital messages or documents. Digital signatures use public key cryptography to verify the sender's identity and ensure the content has not been altered.
Why is Digital Signature important for compliance?
Digital Signature is a key concept in Information Security. Understanding digital signature helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 1,016 frameworks with 316K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Digital Signature?
Digital Signature appears in the requirement text of Australian Information Security Manual, Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite (CNSA) 2.0, HL7 FHIR Security Framework, ITU-T X.805 - Security Architecture for End-to-End Communications, NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Standards (FIPS 203, 204, 205). Across these standards we have identified 27 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Digital Signature?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how digital signature applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 1,016 frameworks.

See how Digital Signature applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 1,016 frameworks with 316K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

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Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.