New "Digital Signature" Feature Showed Up in Mac Mail

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New "Digital Signature" Feature Showed Up in Mac Mail

This showed up in my Mac mail this morning. Does anyone know anything about it, and how I can get rid of it?

I have not updated any software, system or otherwise, for several weeks. I haven't downloaded any rogue items that I'm aware of -- software, attachments, links. I've received some email from legitimate sources (e.g., medical provider) that contained links to encrypted mail servers (zixmail, Barracuda Email Encryption Service), but I don't recall doing anything other than securely logging in to those systems.

Some screenshots below.

Thanks very much --

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Jul 25, 2020 2:15 PM

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Answer 1

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LonesomeMac Author

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Jul 26, 2020 11:16 AM in response to BDAqua

Hello, BD —

I did receive the original PDF document from them, and I believe the document contained a feature I was not aware of.

I believe what happened is that when I entered my signature in the PDF (it’s the type where you can fill in fields), I unknowingly installed a Digital ID Certificate in KeyChain Access. I wasn’t aware we could create digital signatures or use encryption in Mac Mail, especially without being aware of it. (A more savvy user probably would have picked this up.)

I think the basic process is outlined below. I deleted the root certificate in KeyChain Access, and the encryption “feature” is gone. If I want encryption, I’ll install it myself.

Thanks for prodding me to dig deeper. If you have any feedback, do let me know. I'm going to clean up my machine and run Etrecheck in any case.

Sign or encrypt emails in Mail on Mac

Request a certificate from a certificate authority in Keychain Access on Mac

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Answer 2

BDAqua

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Jul 26, 2020 9:25 AM in response to LonesomeMac

Did you receive any eMails from them?

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Answer 3

LonesomeMac Author

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Jul 25, 2020 2:59 PM in response to LonesomeMac

Additional information (sorry, can't see how to edit my original question):

I *did* create a "digital signature" for an Adobe PDF health information form -- see screen shots. This was, however, only for this particular document, and I did not send it out via email, or knowingly interact in any other way with Mail.

How did this show up in my mail program? Any thoughts on next steps?

And thanks --

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Answer 4

BDAqua

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Jul 26, 2020 11:18 AM in response to LonesomeMac

Good work, great news. :)

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Answer 5

BDAqua

Level 10

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Jul 25, 2020 6:24 PM in response to LonesomeMac

Who were you trying to send to???

The free Malwarebytes may take care of it...

https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/

Or...

EtreCheck is a simple little diagnostic tool to display the important details of your system configuration and allow you to copy that information to the Clipboard. It is meant to be used with Apple Support Communities to help people help you with your Mac. It will not display any personal info.

https://www.etrecheck.com/

Pastebin is a good place to paste the whole report if you capture the URL while there…

https://pastebin.com/

Workable but harder for me to work with...the Note tool on the bottom of this editor's toolbar, as shown in the image, to copy and paste the output from EtreCheck. In a Reply before you click post, look for this to add longer texts..

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Answer 6

LonesomeMac Author

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Jul 25, 2020 5:15 PM in response to BDAqua

Howdy -- Sierra, 10.12.6.

I deleted the "digital signature" that I created in the Adobe file, but I kept the file and I left the certificate in Keychain Access for now. It's just an assumption at this point that they're connected.

If need be, I can delete the PDF and the certificate and re-boot. I can always recreate the PDF later.

I'm much more concerned about a sudden new "security" feature appearing in Mail. Especially one that wants to access a private key before sending email.

I'm grateful to you and anyone else who takes the time to read through all the details.

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Answer 7

LonesomeMac Author

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Jul 25, 2020 7:48 PM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua, thanks for the info about Malwarebytes and Etrecheck. I will run through those routines and report back.

The PDF was uploaded to LiveHealth Online, the front end of a telehealth system. (https://livehealthonline.com) It never went anywhere near my mail program.

Kind regards for your help.

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Answer 8

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Jul 25, 2020 4:48 PM in response to LonesomeMac

What OS version?

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New "Digital Signature" Feature Showed Up in Mac Mail

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