Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) FAQ’s

1. What is Digital Signature?

A digital signature is an electronic form of a signature that can be used to authenticate

the identity of the sender of a message or the signer of a document, and also ensure
that the original content of the message or document that has been sent is unchanged.
Digital signatures are easily transportable and cannot be imitated by someone else.
The ability to ensure that the original signed message arrived means that the sender
cannot easily disclaim it later.

2. What is Digital Signature Certificate?

Digital Signature Certificates (DSC) is the electronic format of physical or paper

certificate like a driving License, passport etc. Certificates serve as proof of identity of
an individual for a certain purpose; for example, a Passport identifies someone as a
citizen of that country; who can legally travel to any country. Likewise, a Digital
Signature Certificate can be presented electronically to prove your identity, to access
information or services on the Internet or to sign certain documents digitally.

3. Why do I need a Digital Signature Certificate?

A Digital Signature Certificate authenticates your identity electronically. It also

provides you with a high level of security for your online transactions by ensuring
absolute privacy of the information exchanged using a Digital Signature Certificate.
You can use certificates to encrypt information such that only the intended recipient
can read it. You can digitally sign information to assure the recipient that it has not
been changed in transit, and also verify your identity as the sender of the message.

4. Where can I purchase Digital Signature Certificate?

Legally valid Digital Signature Certificates are issued only through a Controller of
Certifying Authorities (CCA), Govt. of India, licensed ([Link] Certifying
Authorities (CA), such as eMudhra, Safescrypt etc. A Certifying Authority (CA)
licensed by CCA, offers secure digital signatures through various options tailored to
suit individual as well as organizational needs.
 5. Where can I use Digital Signature Certificate?

You can use Digital Signature Certificates for the following:

 For sending and receiving digitally signed and encrypted emails.

 For carrying out secure web-based transactions, or to identify other
participants of web-based transactions.
 In eTendering, eProcurement, MCA [for Registrar of Companies efiling],
Income Tax [for efiling income tax returns] Applications and also in many other
applications.
 For signing documents like MSWord, MSExcel and PDFs.
 Plays a pivotal role in creating a paperless office.

6. How does a Digital Signature Certificate work?

A Digital Signature Certificate explicitly associates the identity of an

individual/device with a pair of electronic keys - public and private keys - and this
association is endorsed by the CA. The certificate contains information about a user's
identity (for example, their name, pincode, country, email address, the date the
certificate was issued and the name of the Certifying Authority that issued it).
These keys complement each other in that one does not function in the absence of the
other. They are used by browsers and servers to encrypt and decrypt information
regarding the identity of the certificate user during information exchange processes.

The private key is stored on the user's computer hard disk or on an external device
such as a token. The user retains control of the private key; it can only be used with
the issued password.

The public key is disseminated with the encrypted information. The authentication
process fails if either one of these keys in not available or do not match. This means
that the encrypted data cannot be decrypted and therefore, is inaccessible to
unauthorized parties.

7. Are Digital Signature Certificate valid in India?

Yes, subsequent to the enactment of Information Technology Act 2000 in India, Digital
Signature Certificates are legally valid in India.

Digital Signature Certificates are issued by licensed Certifying Authorities under the
Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India as per the Information
Technology Act.
 8. What is the difference between a Digital Signature and Digital Signature
Certificate?

A digital signature is an electronic method of signing an electronic document whereas

a Digital Signature Certificate is a computer based record that

 Identifies the Certifying Authority issuing it.

 Has the name and other details that can identify the subscriber.
 Contains the subscriber's public key.
 Is digitally signed by the Certifying Authority issuing it.
 Is valid for either one year or two years.

9. How do I register my Digital Signature Certificate in Internet Banking?

 First time customer logs in, post implementation of DSC, customer will be
redirected to DSC registration page.
 On the registration page, customer will be displayed with Terms &
Conditions of DSC. (Terms & Conditions enclosed in Annexure-II).
 On accepting DSC terms & conditions, the registration page will be auto-
populated with user id, first name and last name.
 The user should download emBridge by visiting their website and click on
“Accept”.
 The user should enter the threshold limit. The transaction amount above the
threshold limit will be DSC enabled and the transaction amount below the
threshold limit will be OTP or DSC enabled. The customer can choose as per
his/her convenience.
 Customer has to plug in the USB crypto token containing the DSC into the
USB port.
 The customer is then prompted to enter the PIN/password set for his DSC.

 The signer with the digital signature certificate available in the system is
displayed to the customer.
 Customer selects the relevant digital signature certificate and clicks on sign
and “Enroll”.
 Enter the OTP which is received on the registered mobile number and
“Submit”.
  Further the bank admin, BBDC dept. / Contact Center has to verify under maker
checker concept that the signer and the Internet Banking user are one and
the same (based on DSC data displayed on screen with Internet Banking
customer profile). This completes the registration process.
 In case the customer denies to enable DSC, a pop up is prompted to accept
the repudiation risk. The response from the customer is saved as logs for
future reference.
 The customer can also register at a later time by logging into internet banking
(using User ID and Password) by following the below procedure:
a. Select “General Services” Service Requests
b. Go to “Digital Certificate” option and select “Digital Certificate
Registration”. The registration process will be the same as mentioned
above.

10. How do I de-register my DSC from Online Banking?

 Customer logs into internet banking and selects DSC De-Register option.
 The delink page will be auto populated with user id, first name and last name
and reason for delinking , Customer will enter the details and submit.
 System will prompt for DSC authentication.
 Once validated, the details will be submitted to the bank admin (BBDC) /
Contact Centre who will verify with maker checker concept and delink the DSC
from the Internet Banking user.

11. How to change the transaction threshold limit?

The customer can change the threshold limit anytime set during registration of DSC.

 User should go to General Services DSC Threshold Maintenance

 Enter the desired amount in “Transaction limit for DSC” option. (Maximum
threshold limit is Rs.10 lakhs). In case transaction limit more than Rs.10 lakhs
is entered, appropriate error message will be displayed.
 Click on “Update” and “Confirm Update”.
  System will prompt for DSC authentication.
 Once validated, threshold limit will be updated.

12. Can I use Digital Signature Certificate for multiple e-mail addresses?
No, you cannot. A digital signature certificate can have only one email address.

13. Can Digital Signature Certificates be used in wireless networks?

Yes, digital signature certificates can be employed in wireless networks.

14. What is the validity period of a DSC?

The Certifying Authorities are authorised to issue a DSC with a validity of one or two
years.

15. What is a Certifying Authority (CA)?

A Certifying Authority is a trusted agency whose central responsibility is to issue,

revoke, renew and provide directories for Digital Signature Certificates. According to
Section 24 of the Information Technology Act 2000, "Certifying Authority" means a
person who has been granted a license to issue Digital Signature Certificates.

16. Who can be a Certifying Authority (CA)?

The IT Act 2000 details the prerequisites of a CA. Accordingly, a prospective CA has
to establish the required infrastructure, get it audited by the auditors appointed by the
office of Controller of Certifying Authorities. Subsequent to complete compliance of
all requirements, a license to operate as a Certifying Authority can be obtained. The
license is issued by the Controller of Certifying Authorities, Ministry of Information
Technology and Government of India.
 17. What is the role of CCA?

The Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA) is a Government of India undertaking

that license and regulate the working of Certifying Authorities. The CCA certifies the
public keys of CAs, which enables users in the cyberspace to verify that a given
certificate is issued by a licensed CA. For this purpose, CCA operates, the Root
Certifying Authority of India (RCAI).

The CCA also maintains the National Repository of Digital Signature Certificate
(NRDC), which contains all the certificates issued by all the CAs in the country.