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Section 42 IT Act — Control of private key

The Information Technology Act, 2000 · Official PDF page 20

Open in NyayaOfficial PDF, page 20

42. Control of private key .–(1) Every subscriber shall exercise reasonable care to retain control of the private key corresponding to the public key listed in his Digital Signature Certificate and take all steps to prevent its disclosure 4***.

(2) If the private key corresponding to the public key listed in the Digital Signature Certificate has been compromised, then, the subscriber shall communicate the same without any delay to the Certifying Authority in such manner as may be specified by the regulations.

Explanation.–For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that the subscriber shall be liable till he has informed the Certifying Authority that the private key has been compromised.

Text extracted from the official PDF (India Code source edition; cover states: 27th June, 2025). Line breaks and footnote marks may differ; the PDF is the authority.

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