2004

Table Of Contents
780 | Chapter 27 Protect and Sign Drawings
Specifically, digital signatures provide the following benefits:
Recipients of digitally signed files can be sure that the organizations or
individuals who sent the files are who they claim to be.
A digital signature guarantees that a file has not changed since the file was
signed.
A signed file cannot be rejected as invalid. The signer of a file cannot later
disown the file by claiming the signature was forged.
A digital signature is not the same as a digitized signature. While a digital
signature helps prove your identity and a drawing’s authenticity, a digitized
signature is nothing more than an electronic version of your own signature.
It can be forged and copied, and has no real security value.
Personally Sign Drawings
When you attach a digital signature to a file, anyone who views the file is
notified if modifications were made after you signed it. Modifications inval-
idate a digital signature.
To attach a digital signature, you must have a digital ID (certificate) on the
computer you are using. A digital ID identifies the person or organization
that signed a file. For more information on digital IDs, search the Internet for
“digital certificate.”
You can set an option to automatically attach your signature to a drawing
whenever you save it. You also can sign many drawings at once, in a batch,
and you can sign eTransmittal sets of drawings.
Obtain a Digital ID
To attach a digital signature to a file, you must have a digital ID (certificate),
which is issued by a certificate authority. A digital ID identifies either an indi-
vidual or an organization.
A digital ID contains a name, serial number, expiration date, and other infor-
mation that certifies the digital signature. From a certificate authority, you
can obtain digital IDs with a security level of Low, Medium, or High.
Low. Use a Low security level if you want to sign multiple files quickly. A
digital signature is automatically attached to all file types that are valid for
a digital signature.