Signatures

A digital signature can bind an artifact or artifact identity to control of a private signing key.

Conceptual flow

Artifact
   ↓
Canonical Representation
   ↓
Digest
   ↓
Private Key
   ↓
Signature

Verification:

Artifact
   ↓
Canonical Representation
   ↓
Digest
   +
Signature
   +
Public Key
   ↓
VERIFY / FAIL

What a valid signature establishes

Within the assumptions of the signature scheme and key management process, a valid signature can show that the signature corresponds to the protected data and the relevant private key.

What it does not automatically establish

A valid cryptographic signature does not by itself prove:

the real-world identity of the signer
that the signer was authorized
that the signed content is true
that the signing key was securely managed
legal acceptance in a particular jurisdiction

Those properties require external trust and governance.

Key management

A secure signing workflow must consider:

private-key storage
public-key distribution
key rotation
revocation
algorithm identifiers
signature timestamps
verification policy

Secure principle

Do not treat signature valid as equivalent to decision trusted.

Interface status

Specific DigiEmu Secure signature algorithms and CLI commands should only be documented once their stable public contract is published.

Continue with Trust Boundaries →.