Validating document integrity and authenticity

You can use the Signature service to validate signatures that are added to PDF forms. To validate signatures, the certificate can be checked for revocation, the timestamp of the signature can be checked, and the document digest is verified. You can validate signatures individually or validate all the signatures on a PDF document.

The following limitations apply to validating digital signatures by using the Signature service:

  • The Signature service cannot accurately validate signatures on dynamic Adobe PDF forms.

  • The Signature service cannot ensure that field-locking rules for signature fields (MDP+ rules) are enforced for Adobe PDF forms and Adobe XML forms.

When validating signatures, the following information can be specified:

Signature field:
The name of the signature field that holds the signature to verify.

Revocation checking:
Whether to check that the signer’s certificate is revoked. You can specify information to enable OCSP and CRL types of checking.

Time stamp checking:
How to verify the timestamp of the signature.

Path validation:
Information that enables the verification of the certificates in the certificate chain that the signer’s certificate includes.

The validity status messages displayed depend on whether the Process Documents With Acrobat 9 Compatibility option is selected for Signature service. (See Signature service settings in LiveCycle Administration Console Help.)

The following table describes the situations that cause the different signature-validity states when the option is selected.

Values

Signature status

DynamicFormSignatureUnknown

DocumentSignatureUnknown

Status Unknown

The integrity of the document or dynamic PDF form has not been verified.

CertifiedDynamicFormSignatureTamper

SignedDynamicFormSignatureTamper

CertifiedDocumentSignatureTamper

SignedDocumentSignatureTamper

Tamper

The document or dynamic form has been altered or corrupted since the signature was applied.

SignatureFormatError

Invalid

The signature is invalid because its formatting or the information it contains has errors.

DynamicFormSigNoChanges

DocumentSigNoChanges

Signed with no changes

The document or dynamic form has not been modified since the signature was applied.

DynamicFormCertificationSigNoChanges

DocumentCertificationSigNoChanges

Certified with no changes

The document or dynamic form has not been modified since it was certified.

DocSigWithChanges

Signed with changes

The revision of the document that this signature covered has not been changed; however, subsequent changes were made to the document.

CertifiedDocSigWithChanges

Signed with allowed changes

The document has been changed since the signature was applied. However, the changes are permitted by the document certifying party and do not invalidate the signature.

CertificationSignWithChanges

Certified with changes

The document has been changed since it was certified. However, the changes are permitted by the document certifying party and do not invalidate the signature

The following table describes the situations that cause the different signature-validity states when the option is not selected.

Value

Signature status

Invalid

Signature Invalid

The revision of the document that is covered by the signature has been altered.

Unknown

Status Unknown

Signature validation on the signed contents was not performed.

ValidAndModified

Signature valid but document modified

The revision of the document that is covered by the signature was not modified; however, subsequent changes were made to the document.

ValidUnmodified

Signature valid and document unmodified

The revision of the document that is covered by the signature was not modified. No subsequent changes were made to the document.

When validating signatures, you must know whether you are validating a PDF signature or an XML signature.

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