Digital signature
Course: AP® Cybersecurity Shows up in: Unit 5: Securing Applications and Data
A value made with a private key that proves who sent a message and that it was not changed. Anyone can check it with the matching public key.
Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 5.4.C.1
Why it matters in Unit 5
Digital signatures are a main use of asymmetric algorithms such as RSA and elliptic curve cryptography (ECC).
Example
A software update is signed with the vendor’s private key; the device checks the signature with the vendor’s public key before installing.
Learn it properly, with a checkpoint 5.4 Asymmetric CryptographyGo deeper: the professional references
Security professionals worldwide use these: the NIST glossary (the U.S. government's official security dictionary), MITRE ATT&CK (real attacker techniques), MITRE CWE (software weaknesses) and the internet's own standards (RFCs). They go beyond the AP® course, so use the definition above for the exam.