How to Validate a Digital Signature
PDFs offer opportunities to transform workflows surrounding signatures, from confirming contracts between businesses to collecting important signatures from new hires during onboarding. By keeping this task entirely within the realm of digital documents, a company can easily avoid bottlenecks and costly delays. From skipping the slow speed of regular postal service to decreasing the time it takes to gather signatures from multiple parties, there are many good reasons to adopt digital signatures within your business.
Beyond their ease of use, however, there is another advantage: security. You can verify the validity of a digital signature to provide an assurance that the real individual in question did sign the document and that nothing about the document changed since they applied their signature. With Kofax Power PDF Advanced, validating digital signatures takes no time at all, offering peace of mind in just a few simple steps.
5 Steps for Validating Digital Signatures In a PDF
Confirming that a signature remains valid in a PDF takes only a few steps and doesn't require any special tools other than your Power PDF installation. Here's what to do:
- Open the digitally signed PDF that you need to validate using Power PDF.
- Locate the digital signature object within the document.
- Right click or command-click on the signature object.
- Select "Verify Signature" from the context menu.
- Power PDF automatically checks the information behind the signature and displays a message saying "Signature Valid" if the document remains in its original form.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 as needed with any other signatures in the document. If Power PDF displays "Signature Validity Unknown," you should proceed to verify the integrity of the document with the original signer. Click the "Verify Identity" to check for contact information and to match signature certificate numbers. You may need to contact the signer directly for additional information.
Simple Steps for Validating Time Stamps
Some digital signatures have an additional timestamp element added to them to demonstrate the exact date and time of signature. This information can be critical in some business contexts. Validating this information is just as easy and follows similar steps:
- Open the signed document and find the signature.
- Follow the steps above to validate the signature, then click "Properties" in the resulting Validation Status box.
- Select the Date/Time tab, then click Show Certificate. If the document has a verified timestamp from a certificate authority, you will see that information here.
Improve Digital Document Workflows With Power PDF
With easy to use tools that make document validation faster, you can enjoy the confidence that accompanies maintaining trust while eliminating some of the bottlenecks common to paper-based processes. Featuring a complete suite of tools for PDF creation, editing, and security, Power PDF offers a cost-effective solution to transform the way your business works with these critical digital files.
Take advantage of an easier way to sign documents and verify the signatures of others when you explore adding this software to your business today.