DIGITAL SIGNATURES

When you are signing a document, you need to use the same password that you entered when you setup your Digital ID. Acrobat will typically ask you to type your password twice, when creating the ID. That way you don't have a typo in the original password.

@Kelly - With all due respect, you're never asked for a password as part of the signature validation process. Validation uses the public key certificate (PKC), and the PKC is not password protected.

However, none of this answers the original question...

@Rick - I'm wondering if we're on the same page terminology wise. I think you are referring to a "digital ID" and not a "digital signature". The digital ID is analogues to a pen in the physical world, that is, it is the instrument used to create a signature. A digital signature is the equivalent of a wet ink signature.

When you create a digital ID on a Windows machine you have two options as to how to save it. One option is to add it into the Windows Certificate Store where you aren't asked for a password, the theory being that if you could log on to Windows then you've already authenticated you identity. The other method of saving a digital ID is to save it to a file, which also is available on the Mac. It's this method that asks you to create a password and to confirm the password. It's here that the passwords have to match or you get the alert dialog you mentioned. The reason that you want to password protect a digital ID is it contains your private key, along with the PKC, and it's the private key that authenticates your identity and thus, you want to protect it so someone (read "bad guy") doesn't get the opportunity to impersonate you.

Does this answer your question?

Steve

Steven,

Thank you for the clarification and for your very thorough answer. I meant to say it asks you for the password when signing, not validating. I've edited my text above.

I wanted to post another cause for this issue that I was just helping a user with...

She kept trying to create a digital signature but kept getting that her "passwords do not match". But she also didn't see a box for "Confirm Password" and the cause was that she had increased her Windows Display font size to something larger than the default, and this caused the dialog box on the Adobe Acrobat screen to not show the box for Confirm Password. But I had her press TAB and blindly type in her "confirm password" and then all was well.

cgibney,

Thanks for the additional note, that may help another user out there, having the same issue :)

Hi I have a question that is similar in theme but a little more involved. I am trying to implement electronic signatures for documents that go through a develop review approve process so they are signed by 3 seperate individuals.

All users have adobe acrobat 9.

Is it possible to save the PKC when you originally create you digital ID to a network location so that integrity is satisfied ie if i sign the document as the developer and then it is sent to the reviewer my signature will not show as valid unless the the PC that my reviewer is on can see the PKC on a network location somewhere, this at least is what i am presuming please correct me if I am wrong there.

Any other guidance on setting this kind of a system up using adobe acrobat 9 would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Paul

If you don't have a public key infrastructure (PKI) or certificate server you can contrive a simple closed system on the network using self-signed digital IDs.

People can create their own self-signed digital ID, export the public certificate and place it in a common network location (ideally the location is read only to everyone but an admin, and people send their public certificate to the admin who places it in the common location).

When you send a signed document to a person they can go to the common location and load your public certificate into their Acrobat on their PC - puts it into the trusted cert store on their PC (the Acrobat address book). This will allow their Acrobat to validate your signature whenever they see it. Ditto as others join the scheme. However this is a rather clumsy scheme since everyone has to load everyone's certificate. The admin can make life easier by maintaining the Acrobat address book and keeping a copy in the common location which people can download to their PC when needed ( preferably by running a simple batch file to load it).

This is all a bit simple, but workable for a small closed system (and free).

Your next problem is creating the digital signature fields on the document for others to sign.
The fields are created by the developer for all signatories - in reverse.
I.e. Create the approver sig field , then the reviewer sig field, then the developer signs using a certifying signature locking the document down using either 'signature signing and form fields only' for final sign off, or signature signin, form fields and annotations for collection of comments.

Thanks very much greenstead, i figured something like that would be possible. Do you have an example of a batch file that updates the address book that i could use as an example?

Thanks again

Paul

What I use is a e-mail rule which detects incoming e-mails and saves the cert attachments (.FDF) files and then kicks off a script which adds them to local address bock and places the updated address book to a place where others can get it, or run another script to download it and replace their address book on their PC.

I can tell you the functionality but can't give the script away. But it's quite simple.

THANK YOU cgibney!!!! I don't know if the increased font size was my problem or not or, if it was, when I ever increased it, but you nailed my problem. I kept getting "The passwords do not match" yet there was no field showing to enter a confirming password. I did the "blind tab" and Voila! no more passwords do not match problems. Thanks again.