Table 2.

Principles and features of digital signatures as counterparts of traditional signatures (and with the intent toward their generalization to DNA signatures).

Digital signatures
How they work	“Public-key” signatures rely on the usage of specific secrets - the keys used to generate a signature. They are generated by applying a mathematical formula or an algorithm, to scramble the information into a string of digits
Who can produce a valid signature?	Only the holder of the private (secret) key–the signer–can produce such an “electronic autograph”
Who can verify a signature?	In the public-key setting, the signature can be verified by anyone
Useful features
They provide authenticity and enable supply chain security	For messages distributed through a non-secure channel, a properly implemented digital signature gives the receiver reason to believe the message was sent by the claimed sender
They provide data integrity and ensure anti-counterfeiting	Any change in the message after signature will invalidate that signature, which ensures the integrity of the signed data (“the message”) against tampering or corrupting during transmission
They are binding	Once it is published, a signature cannot be altered or repudiated
What can be signed?	As with anything in the cyber-realm, the message is an alphanumeric string, including anything that can be represented as such (genomic information, producer information, processes used, etc)