Class-1 Certificates are personal email Certificates that allow you to secure your email messages. These Certificates can be used to:
Digitally Sign Email
You can digitally sign your email messages using Individual Digital Certificate so that the recipient is assured that the email has come from you.
Encrypt Email
You can encrypt emails using Individual Digital Certificate to prevent unauthorized people from reading it.
Authenticate to Web Servers - You can authenticate yourself to a Web Server to engage in secure communication with Web Server using Individual Digital Certificate. This protects all information such as credit card details that you send to the Web Server.
Class-1 Certificates however, do not facilitate strong authentication of the identity of the Subscriber; hence are not intended for, and shall not be relied upon, for commercial use where proof of identity is required.
Applicability
This provides a basic level of assurance relevant to environments where there are risks and consequences of data compromise, but they are not considered to be of major significance.
Uses of Class 1 DSC
Class 1 Digital signatures are used to verify an email address's association with a person. It is not used for validating any documents and therefore holds no legal validity in the signing of documents.
Cost of Class 1 DSC
There are three types of digital signature certificates, and the DSC cost can vary based on the type: Class 1: This type of certificate is issued to individuals and is used to verify email IDs and provide online authentication. The DSC cost of a Class 1 certificate can range from INR 500 to INR 1500.
How can I get Class 1 DSC?
In the case of Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) Applicants, they can directly approach Certifying Authorities (CA) at the CA premises with original supporting documents, in which case self-attestation of copies will be sufficient.