Validating is a process wherein an electronically signed file is checked for authenticity and integrity. The public key, which is usually contained in the certificate of the electronic signature, is used to decrypt the hash value. After re-computing the hash value, it can be compared to the decrypted hash value. If they are the same, the integrity of the signed file is proven. For validating the authenticity, that is, the identity of the person who claims to have signed the file, the certificate is sent to the online validation of the certificate authority. For Governikus DATA Boreum this is done via the Validation Service, which is configured in the respective tab of the settings dialog. The certificate is passed to the Certificate Validation Server and further on to the issuing certificate authority by secured communication.
Certificate validation
The certificate authority validates the certificate with respect to originality and validity. Validity in this context does not denote the validity interval of the certificate since it is contained in the certificate itself. The validity of certificate can be revoked before its validity interval expires, in case the owner has reported the certificate stolen, or if he fears the card and PIN are accessed by third party.