Digital Signatures: Risks and Legal Binding in Linux Systems

Digital signatures were designed to allow secure, confidential communication between two parties. As Wikipedia describes it: "A user may digitally sign messages using his private key, and another user can check that signature (using the public key contained in that user's certificate issued by a certificate authority). This enables two (or more) communicating parties to establish confidentiality, message integrity and user authentication without having to exchange any secret information in advance."

Are digital signatures legally binding? Usually. Check your local statutes. Are they foolproof? Not usually. For years, Prof. Ferenc Leitold of the University of Veszprem has been explaining the dangers of digital signatures to the world at large. This week, he's doing it again at the 15th EICAR Annual Conference in Hamburg, Germany.

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