Adobe 22002486 Digital Signature User Guide - Page 11

Getting and Using Your Digital ID

Page 11 highlights

2 Getting and Using Your Digital ID A digital ID is like a driver's license or passport or other "certified by some entity" paper identification. It proves your identity to people and institutions that you communicate with electronically. These IDs are a critical component of digital signatures and certificate security. In signing and certificate security workflows, you will be asked to select a digital ID. Selecting an ID is simply a matter of picking one from a list of your previously installed digital IDs. If you do not have a digital ID, you will be prompted to find or create one. For more information, refer to the following:  "Digital ID Basics" on page 11  "Generic ID Operations" on page 15  "Managing PKCS#12 Digital ID Files" on page 19  "Managing Windows Digital IDs" on page 26  "Your server may require additional or different authentication steps. Follow directions that appear in the dialogs.Managing IDs Stored on Hardware Devices" on page 27 2.1 Digital ID Basics 2.1.1 What is a Digital ID? A digital ID consists of two main parts: a certificate and a private key. A certificate consists of your identity information (name, date, serial number, etc.) and a public key that are bound together and signed by a trusted or untrusted certificate authority. The certificate sometimes includes a reference to the certificate issuer's certificate, thereby creating what is known as a "certificate chain." Digital IDs operate by using a key pair: data encrypted with one key can only be decrypted by the other corresponding key. When you sign PDF documents, you use the private key to apply your digital signature. You distribute the certificate that contains your public key to those who need to validate your signature or encrypt information for you. Only your private key can unlock information that was encrypted using your public key, so be sure to store your digital ID in a safe place. You must have a digital ID to sign, certify, and apply certificate encryption to PDFs. You can get a digital ID from a third-party provider, or you can create a self-signed digital ID. Self-signed digital IDs may be adequate for many situations. However, to prove your identity in most business transactions, you may need a digital ID from a trusted third-party provider, called a certificate authority. Because the certificate authority is responsible for verifying your identity to others, choose one that is trusted by major companies doing business on the Internet. You can have multiple digital IDs for different purposes. For example, you may sign documents in different roles or using different certification methods. Digital IDs are usually password protected and can be stored on your computer in password protected file, on a smart card or hardware token, in the Windows certificate store, or on a signing server (for roaming IDs). Acrobat applications can access digital IDs from any of these locations. 11

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11
2
Getting and Using Your Digital ID
A digital ID is like a driver’s license or passport or other “certified by some entity” paper identification. It
proves your identity to people and institutions that you communicate with electronically. These IDs are a
critical component of digital signatures and certificate security. In signing and certificate security
workflows, you will be asked to select a digital ID. Selecting an ID is simply a matter of picking one from a
list of your previously installed digital IDs. If you do not have a digital ID, you will be prompted to find or
create one.
For more information, refer to the following:
“Digital ID Basics” on page 11
“Generic ID Operations” on page 15
“Managing PKCS#12 Digital ID Files” on page 19
“Managing Windows Digital IDs” on page 26
“Your server may require additional or different authentication steps. Follow directions that appear in
the dialogs.Managing IDs Stored on Hardware Devices” on page 27
2.1
Digital ID Basics
2.1.1
What is a Digital ID?
A digital ID consists of two main parts: a certificate and a private key. A certificate consists of your identity
information (name, date, serial number, etc.) and a public key that are bound together and signed by a
trusted or untrusted certificate authority. The certificate sometimes includes a reference to the certificate
issuer’s certificate, thereby creating what is known as a “certificate chain.”
Digital IDs operate by using a key pair: data encrypted with one key can only be decrypted by the other
corresponding key. When you sign PDF documents, you use the private key to apply your digital signature.
You distribute the certificate that contains your public key to those who need to validate your signature or
encrypt information for you. Only your private key can unlock information that was encrypted using your
public key, so be sure to store your digital ID in a safe place.
You must have a digital ID to sign, certify, and apply certificate encryption to PDFs. You can get a digital ID
from a third-party provider, or you can create a self-signed digital ID. Self-signed digital IDs may be
adequate for many situations. However, to prove your identity in most business transactions, you may
need a digital ID from a trusted third-party provider, called a certificate authority. Because the certificate
authority is responsible for verifying your identity to others, choose one that is trusted by major
companies doing business on the Internet.
You can have multiple digital IDs for different purposes. For example, you may sign documents in different
roles or using different certification methods. Digital IDs are usually password protected and can be stored
on your computer in password protected file, on a smart card or hardware token, in the Windows
certificate store, or on a signing server (for roaming IDs). Acrobat applications can access digital IDs from
any of these locations.