easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: When implementing a digital signature, which key…
When implementing a digital signature, which key is used to create the signature?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse the roles of keys in encryption versus signing, mistakenly thinking the receiver's private key or the sender's public key is used to create the signature because they associate 'private' with secrecy and 'public' with sharing, without understanding the specific asymmetric operations required for non-repudiation.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Sender's private key
In a digital signature scheme, the sender uses their own private key to create the signature. This ensures non-repudiation because only the sender possesses that private key, and the corresponding public key can verify the signature. The process involves encrypting a hash of the message with the sender's private key, as specified in standards like PKCS#1 and RFC 8017.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Receiver's private key
Why it's wrong here
Receiver's private key is used for decryption, not signing.
- ✓
Sender's private key
Why this is correct
The private key is used to sign documents.
- ✗
Sender's public key
Why it's wrong here
The public key is used for verification, not creation.
- ✗
Receiver's public key
Why it's wrong here
Receiver's keys are irrelevant for signing.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This SSCP question is part of Courseiva's 920-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SSCP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SSCP exam.