Evidence and verification

No trusted third-party timestamp yet; it shows 'Not configured'.

When every recipient has finished, a HyoNova Sign request moves to Finalizing and then to Completed. This page explains what HyoNova produces at that moment, how to check it later, and what the evidence does and does not prove.

What HyoNova produces#

The signed PDF and the certificate are stored as HyoNova Files, in the company's files, with a Signed label (Completed via HyoNova Sign and the reference).

Finalizing usually takes a short time. If it cannot complete at once, the request shows Finalization did not complete yet and will retry automatically. HyoNova keeps retrying; nothing is lost.

The evidence record#

• Document fingerprints. HyoNova records a SHA-256 fingerprint of every document when the request is sent and of every signed document when it is completed. Any change to a file, even one character, gives a different fingerprint.
• Activity record. Every event — created, sent, invitation sent or failed, opened, authenticated, email code requested, disclosure accepted, field completed, signature applied, declined, voided, completed and more — is recorded with its time. Each event includes the fingerprint of the previous one, so the events form a chain: removing or changing an event breaks it.
• Evidence seal. At completion, HyoNova builds an evidence manifest — the document fingerprints, the event chain and the request details — and seals it with a digital signature made with a HyoNova-managed key held in a cloud key management service. The request's Evidence tab shows HyoNova Evidence Seal valid and Evidence chain intact when both checks pass.
• Trusted timestamp. Not configured. HyoNova does not yet add a timestamp from an independent timestamp authority. Times come from HyoNova's own servers.

Download the files#

On a completed request, choose:

• Download signed PDF — the final document.
• Certificate of completion — the certificate PDF.
• Evidence package — a ZIP with the signed documents, the certificate, the evidence manifest, the seal, the public key that checks the seal, the event chain and verification details. Use it to keep your own independent copy of the evidence.

Whether recipients can download the completed documents depends on Signature settings: All parties, or Sender and Sign administrators only. The Evidence package can be downloaded by the sender or a Sign administrator who also has permission to export Sign records; every export is recorded in the evidence. The package never contains signing links, one-time codes or signature images.

Public verification#

Every completed request has a verification ID and a public verification page on app.hyonova.com/sign/verify/, followed by that ID. The certificate's QR code opens it. Anyone with the link can open it — no account is needed.

The page shows:

The page shows no document content, field values, email addresses or signatures. An unknown ID shows No completed HyoNova Sign record has this verification ID.

Check a file#

Under Check your file, choose the signed PDF you received. Your browser calculates its SHA-256 fingerprint and compares it with the completed document. The file is not uploaded; it never leaves your device.

• This file matches the completed HyoNova Sign document. — the file is exactly the one HyoNova produced.
• This file does not match the completed HyoNova Sign document. — the file is different. It may have been changed, saved again by another program, or it may be another document from the same request.

What the seal means — and what it does not#

The seal shows that:

• the evidence record was produced by HyoNova and has not changed since completion;
• the signed documents have exactly the fingerprints recorded at completion;
• the events happened in the recorded order and none was removed.

The seal does not:

• make the signature a qualified or advanced electronic signature — HyoNova Sign creates simple electronic signatures with an evidence trail;
• verify a person's government identity — it records how they were authenticated: a secure link, a link plus an email code, or a signed-in HyoNova account;
• add an independent trusted timestamp — that is Not configured;
• decide whether a document is legally valid where you are. Some documents may legally require another form of signature. Check with your own legal advisers; HyoNova does not give legal advice.

Related#

• Send a document for signature
• Sign settings and evidence — evidence seal state and retention.