Question

A contract bid is digitally signed and electronically mailed. The PRIMARY advantage to using a digital signature is that:

A. the bid and the signature can be copied from one document to another

B. the bid cannot be forged even if the keys are compromised

C. the signature can be authenticated even if no encryption is used

D. any alteration of the bid will invalidate the signature

Correct Answer: C?????    or   D????

______________________

Note

■ Some good websites claim that the correct answer is C ("the signature can be authenticated even if no encryption is used").

■ Others good websites claim that the correct answer is D ("any alteration of the bid will invalidate the signature").

■ Why C and not D? Why D and not C?

Many thanks!

Answer 1

The correct answer is option D. Any alteration of the bid will invalidate the signature.

The reason behind this is that the contract bid is the main which is mailed electronically. Any alternation with it will lead to the alteration with signature as well. This way, authenticity of the digital message or document is also in danger. Hence it is the primary advantage. On the other hand, it is true that the signature can be authenticated even if no encryption is used but authenticating the signature comes only when the contract bid reaches safely without any alteration. Hence it can be considered as secondary thing.

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