Digital signature

Q: How deeply does Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition: Write and organize scripts and tools cover digital signature?

Explains key pairs, hashes, verification, testing, execution policy, and tamper errors, while deferring detailed PKI theory.

As explained in Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition: Write and organize scripts and tools

A digital signature is cryptographic metadata attached to a file that authenticates its signer and detects changes to the signed content.

A digital signature attaches certificate identity information and a content hash to a PowerShell script. The private key creates the signature; the public key verifies the signer and detects any change. section 21.2 section 21.4

Use signatures as a practical safety check:

Protect the certificate’s private key, ideally with password protection in the Windows certificate store. section 21.2
Check a script with Get-AuthenticodeSignature before running it. section 21.4.4
Treat a broken signature as a reason to investigate, then re-sign only after confirming the change. section 21.4.4

PS C:\scripts> Get-AuthenticodeSignature .\psvm.ps1
    Directory: C:\scripts
SignerCertificate                         Status                  Path
-----------------                         ------                  ----
9D16AF2573AC6C01A33752CA5135F3700A6FE9CF  Valid               psvm.ps1

A compact PowerShell listing shows a valid Authenticode status for a signed script. section 21.4.4

How Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition: Write and organize scripts and tools covers it

Cover of Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition: Write and organize scripts and tools

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Also explained in

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Software Security for DevelopersA digital signature is a cryptographic value that authenticates a message and binds it to the signer so that the signature can be independently verified.
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Real-World CryptographyA digital signature is a cryptographic value computed with a private signing key and verified with the corresponding public key to authenticate data or its signer.
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Secure APIsA token signature is cryptographic data that allows a recipient to verify that a token was issued by a trusted party and has not been altered.
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API Design PatternsA digital signature is a cryptographic value generated with a private key and verifiable with the corresponding public key to authenticate the signer and detect changes to signed data.
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Hacking CryptographyA cryptographic value associated with data that enables verification of its integrity and origin by parties possessing the required verification information.
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Elliptic Curve Cryptography for DevelopersA digital signature is a cryptographic value produced with a private key that authenticates data and can be checked with the corresponding public key.
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Grokking Web Application SecurityA cryptographic signature is data generated with a private key that enables verification of a message's authenticity and integrity using the corresponding public key.

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Related concepts

private keyproduced by · A private key is the secret component of an asymmetric cryptographic key pair used by its holder for operations such as authentication, decryption, or digital signing.
ECDSAimplemented by · ECDSA is a public-key digital signature algorithm that uses elliptic-curve arithmetic to generate and verify signatures.
CRYSTALS-Dilithiumincludes · CRYSTALS-Dilithium is a lattice-based digital signature scheme based on the learning with errors problem.
hash-based signature schemeincludes · A hash-based signature scheme is a digital signature scheme whose security is based on cryptographic hash-function properties rather than algebraic number-theoretic assumptions.
Schnorr signatureincludes · A Schnorr signature is a public-key digital signature scheme based on a proof of knowledge of a discrete logarithm.
public keyuses · A public key is the openly distributable component of an asymmetric cryptographic key pair, used for encryption, authentication, or signature verification.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition: Write and organize scripts and tools. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.