Explanation/Reference:
Explanation:
Reviewing general security settings on each platform will be the most efficient method for determining password strength while not compromising the integrity of the passwords. Attempting to reset several passwords to weaker values may not highlight certain weaknesses. Installing code to capture passwords for periodic audit, and sampling a subset of users and requesting their passwords for review, would compromise the integrity of the passwords.

The data owners should be notified first so they can take steps to determine the extent of the damage and coordinate a plan for corrective action with the computer incident response team. Other parties will be notified later as required by corporate policy and regulatory requirements.

The certificate authority (CA) is a trusted third party that attests to the identity of the signatory, and reliance will be a function of the level of trust afforded the CA. A digital signature would provide a level of assurance of message integrity, but it is a three-party exchange, including the CA. Digital signatures do not require encryption of the message in order to preserve confidentiality.