PL/PDF v5.31 introduces native PAdES B-B and PAdES B-T digital signature support directly from Oracle PL/SQL.
PAdES — PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures — is the ETSI standard family for advanced electronic signatures embedded in PDF documents. The current baseline specification is defined by ETSI EN 319 142-1 and is part of the European electronic-signature standards ecosystem used with eIDAS.
PAdES B-B: the basic signature
B-B is the basic PAdES baseline level.
It cryptographically binds the signer and certificate to the PDF so that changes made after signing can be detected. Validation depends on the signing certificate and its validity information.
This is suitable when a standards-based digital signature is required but a trusted proof of signing time is not necessary.
PAdES B-T: adding trusted time
B-T extends B-B with a trusted timestamp.
After creating the signature, PL/PDF communicates with a Time Stamping Authority (TSA) and incorporates a time-stamp token into the signature. This provides independent evidence that the signature existed at a particular point in time.
ETSI timestamp profiles are based on the RFC 3161 time-stamping protocol, where the TSA issues a cryptographically protected time-stamp token.
Conceptually:
PDF → PAdES B-B signature → TSA → PAdES B-T
This is especially useful for contracts, invoices, official reports and other documents where proving when a document was signed is important.
Native Oracle PL/SQL
The important part for PL/PDF users is how this is implemented.
PAdES signing in PL/PDF v5.31 is performed natively in PL/SQL. There is no Java stored procedure and no Bouncy Castle dependency.
The complete workflow can remain inside an Oracle application:
Oracle data → PL/PDF → PDF → PAdES signature → optional TSA timestamp
This also makes the feature directly usable from Oracle APEX and existing PL/SQL applications.
PAdES defines the signature format and validation structure. Whether a signature qualifies as an advanced or qualified electronic signature under eIDAS also depends on the certificate, trust service provider and signing environment — PAdES alone does not automatically make a signature qualified.
With PAdES B-B and B-T support, PL/PDF v5.31 takes another major step toward standards-based, secure document generation directly inside Oracle Database.
#Oracle #PLSQL #PLPDF #PDF #PAdES #DigitalSignature #eIDAS #CyberSecurity #OracleAPEX
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