CAVIRC.net - Sender s Identity and Message Integrity

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Sender's Identity- the most reliable and common tools are the subscription certificates released by Certificate Authority  following the <a href="http://www.cnipa.gov.it/site/it- IT/Le_Attivit%c3%a0/Elenco_certificatori/">CNIPA rules</a>. Documents signed with these certificates are legally opposable to third parties and can be attached to email messages. As an alternative (or in addition) to this solution it is possible to sign an email message using other certificates (not a subscription certificate) issued with regard to Electronic Mail (and associated to the e-mail box).- It is very important that digital signature certificates reside on devices where it's physically impossible to access the signature secret code (the private key); the most diffused solutions are Smart Cards, but also other types of support, that don't need special readers and use a computer's standard port (i.e. USB), are becomming widespread. Signature certificates not residing on protected supports can be read by unauthorized persons and used for fraudulent uses. Certified Email can also be useful for certified email providers that must identify users in the right  to avoid abuses. Nevertheless documents and / or messages' digital signature is always very useful. Message Integrity E-signature is useful in this case too. Signed documents or messages can't be modified without changing their signature.Receiver can check that the signature has not been modified: in this way he can also verify that the document/message is the same as the sender signed version. Digital Signature validity control concerns: - messages: by normal email software (Outlook,...) - documents with digital signature: by (free) tools provided by Certificate Authority that issued the Signature Certificates.Other technologies can be useful, in the absence of signature: - secure communication channels between the user's workstation and the email provider. For instance: the use of SSL encryption software in the connection between client and provider's server: SSL can be suitable for sending mail protocol (SMTP) and for receiving mail protocol (POP3/IMAP) and for sending/receiving mail with web interface (WEBMAIL) - Certified Email can even ensure the secure connection and the message integrity even in the transport between a certified email system and another. Since the &quot;from/sender&quot; field of the message can be easily modified, the best way to trust who sent a message or a document, is to request the sender's (digital) signature.</PRE>