Sign OpenOffice and LibreOffice Documents

#security #encryption #workplace #privacy

1. Open Your Document

Start by opening the document you want to sign.

It can be a Writer file (.odt), a Calc spreadsheet (.ods), or even an Impress presentation (.odp).

Once it's open, go to the menu bar at the top and click:

File → Digital Signatures

This is your gateway to the signing process. When you click that option, a dialogue box will pop up.

2. Add Your Signature

Now, in the Digital Signatures dialogue box, click "Sign Document."

This is where you'll see all the available certificates that you can use to sign your file.

If you're using a DigiCert token or any other hardware-based signing tool, you'll see the certificates tied to your token right here.

Then, click Sign.

That's it. You've just signed your document. When it's done, you'll notice something new. Your document title at the top will now say (Signed) right next to its name.

3. Enter Your Token Password

In case your digital certificate is saved in a SafeNet device (the physical device supplied by DigiCert or other services), you will be asked to use your token password.

Imagine that this password is your virtual fingerprint. It makes sure that your certificate can be utilised by nobody but you.

The signature will be automatically applied as soon as you get there.

Click Close, and you're done.

4. Verify That Your Document is Signed

Looking at the title bar of the document you are in now, you now see your name in something like this:

Contract_Proposal.odt (Signed)

This is to indicate that your digital signature has been added successfully. Any person using this file in OpenOffice or in LibreOffice can instantly notice that it is signed and has not been interfered with.

In case one attempts to edit or modify it, the digital signature is invalidated. That is how you keep data intact and original without even raising an eyelid.