Is it possible to create and use certificate based digital signature on web?

[bodmaishchele]

Hi All,

I need to sign a form using ertificate based digital signature. However, currently I am unable to boot my laptop into windows and running it on ubuntu 24.04.  Is it possible to create and use certificate based digital signature online without any subscription?

[ls_rbls · Accepted solution]

Hi @bodmaishchele ,

Just curious, Is this a government form for work?

I will assume that by signing online, you are referring to using a web browser?

If that would be the case, Although new modern web browsers advertise their PDF rendering capabilities to be able to fill and sign a PDF,  it is limited to electronic-based (e-Signature) , not certificate-based digital signatures, specifically secured PDF forms developed in LiveCycle Designer, for example.

If I am not mistaken this is true in both Windows and Linux boxes. In which case, you still need an app capable of rendering PDF objects such as embedded signature field objects.

Even more important, how is the digital signature employed (i.e. self-signed certificate-based digital signature or using a smart card with reader)?

You may be able to experiment with Adobe Sign though.

A subscription is required if you are the creator and sender of the PDF document. If you are the signer it does not.

Personally I haven't check this myself, but since it doesn't require  the signer to install Acrobat Pro or Acrobat Reader on their computers , a web browser should do, but it is done using a Cloud Signature Provider.

The form must also be designed to provide the designated signature fields for your intended recipients

See here:

• https://helpx.adobe.com/sign/using/digital-signatures.html

You may also use online self-signed certificate generating websites with or without a a root certificate authority.

[bodmaishchele]

Hi @ls_rbls,

Thank you for your response.

It is a copyright form for authorship and it has the designated signature fields.

Yes, by signing online, I mean I need a self-signed certificate-based digital signature on that form using a web browser only and I am only the signer not the creator or sender of the form . However, as I find, on web browsers even the adobe sign is limited to e-sign only. It seems that I need to opt for the self-signed certificate generating websites. Am I missing anything?

[bodmaishchele]

Hi @ls_rbls, another query is that could you kindly suggest any online self-signed certificate generating websites without a root certificate authority?

[ls_rbls]

Yes of course.

Try these:

• https://www.devglan.com/online-tools/generate-self-signed-cert
• https://certificatetools.com/

Using certificatetools.com is the most straight forward online method, in my personal opinion.

Take for example what Adobe Reader or Acrobat would expect when generating a self-signed Digita ID certificate:

And then use the online template and fill it out like I prepared the slides below (you may need to test what works for you after the certificate is generated, but this is very straight forward):

First slide:

Second slide:

Third slide:

Fourth slide:

After you download the certificate, be aware that Digital ID files must be in *.p12 or *.pfx  file format in order to sign Adobe PDF documents. Therefore, an extra manual step may be required to convert the certificate from *.cer to *.pfx file format.

Use the posts linked below as a reference if you like to play with Linux a lot: 

• https://serverfault.com/questions/1003517/how-do-i-install-a-pfx-certificate-file-into-ubuntu-so-cur...
• https://www.ssl.com/how-to/create-a-pfx-p12-certificate-file-using-openssl/

• Additional Linux insights ==> https://www.veeble.com/kb/generate-self-signed-certificate-with-openssl-windows-linux/

NOTE:  You may also test your self-signed Digital ID certificate with Linux using this app:

• https://github.com/schorschii/Simple-Signer