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How can I use My Credential™ for Adobe® Acrobat®?
Can I certify my PDF documents from any computer?
Why should I sign my Adobe® Acrobat® documents with My Credential?
What is the difference between certifying and signing a document?
Is My Credential for Adobe® Acrobat® sold to individuals outside of the U.S.?
How will recipients of my documents know they are secure?
Why do I need a USB token to use My Credential for Adobe® Acrobat®?
You use My Credential for Adobe® Acrobat® certificate to sign and certify Adobe® Acrobat® PDF documents. Only My Credential for Adobe® Acrobat® certificates will ensure that recipients can trust the source and integrity of the document.
To sign and certify PDF documents using a computer other than the one you used to obtain your certificate, you must download the GeoTrust CDS Root certificate and load your iKey token drivers. If you do not take this step, the recipients of your certified document will be unable to validate your identity.
The token you get from VeriSign contains a certificate that is recognized by Adobe® Acrobat® and Adobe® Reader 6.0 and higher. This certificate is pre-trusted in Adobe Reader so that users will trust the source and document. Recipients will receive an easy to understand message screen telling them they can trust the document.
Certifying a document
When you save an Adobe® Acrobat® PDF document as certified, you attest to its contents and specify the types of changes that are permitted for the document to remain certified. For example, suppose that a government agency creates a form with signature fields. When the form is complete, the agency certifies the document, allowing users to change only form fields and sign the document. Users can fill in the form and sign the document, but if they remove pages or add comments, the document is no longer certified. When you certify an Adobe PDF with a valid VeriSign-issued CDS certificate, a blue ribbon icon will appear next to the digital signature and in the Signatures tab.
Signing a document
A digital signature can be either visible or invisible. A visible signature appears in both the document and Signatures tab. An invisible signature appears only in the Signatures tab. Adding a signature does not affect the validity of existing signatures in the document. When you sign a document, your signature and the related information can be stored in a signature field embedded on the page. A signature field is an Adobe® Acrobat® form field. You can add a signature field to a page as you sign, or you can use the Signature tool to create an empty signature field that can be signed later.
If a certificate that was used for Adobe® Acrobat® signing has been revoked, the serial number and other relevant information will be placed in a file used in revocation checking. If the Adobe® Acrobat® environment detects a signing certificate serial number in this file the application will produce an invalid signature validation at time of signing and subsequent opening. Only documents signed while on-line after revocation will be affected.
The process will take about 24 hours to show all Adobe® Acrobat® users that the new documents signed after revocation are invalid. Earlier documents will remain valid if signed on-line even after revocation.
My Credential for Adobe® Acrobat® is available globally.
VeriSign is a recognized leader in online trust. We are known for our rigorous identity verification methods. My Credential for Adobe® Acrobat® requires two-factor authorization using a FIPS Level II cryptographic device, to ensure that only the party whose identity has been verified secures the document and the digital signature is valid.
VeriSign binds the author’s identity to a private key that never leaves their FIPS level II cryptographic device (token). Authors must have both possession of the token and knowledge of the pass phrase to unlock the private key before applying a Certified signature to a PDF document.
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