The author supports the necessity of reliable digital signatures by presenting a real-world scenario that underscores the potential risks and vulnerabilities in online communication and financial transactions, emphasizing the need for secure verification mechanisms.
The author supports the claim that "it is essential that there is some form of reliable digital signature" by highlighting a potential scenario involving financial transactions and emphasizing the vulnerability of online communication to fraudulent activities. The example provided involves a bank receiving an email instruction to transfer funds to a private bank account in the Cayman Islands. The absence of a handwritten signature raises the question of the email's authenticity, as it could be fabricated by a criminal with malicious intent.
The author contends that without a means to verify the legitimacy of digital communications, such as a reliable digital signature, there is a heightened risk of fraud and misrepresentation in online transactions. In the absence of traditional physical signatures, a digital signature serves as a cryptographic assurance of the sender's identity and the integrity of the message. By stressing the potential consequences of unauthorized access and manipulation in the absence of digital signatures, the author underscores the importance of implementing secure and trustworthy measures to establish credibility and protect against cyber threats.
The question probable may be:
Read the excerpt from The Code Book.
"Alternatively, imagine that a bank receives an e-mail from a client, which instructs that all the client's funds should be transferred to a private numbered bank account in the Cayman Islands. Once again, without a handwritten signature, how does the bank know that the e-mail is really from the client? The e-mail could have been written by a criminal attempting to divert the money to his own Cayman Islands bank account. In order to develop trust on the Internet, it is essential that there is some form of reliable digital signature."
How does the author support the claim that "it is essential that there is some form of reliable digital signature"?