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Understanding Digital Signatures: Security, Technology, and Usage

Digital signatures offer a secure alternative to traditional written signatures, ensuring proof of identification and integrity of data in contracts and documents. This technology prevents forgery, falsification, and document alterations by utilizing public and private keys for verification. Established by the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS PUB 186) in 1994, digital signatures have revolutionized secure communication. Tools like PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) enhance email and instant message encryption. Learn how to effectively implement digital signing technology in your digital transactions.

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Understanding Digital Signatures: Security, Technology, and Usage

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  1. Digital Signatures

  2. Written Signatures / Paper Documents • Provide “proof” of identification • Legal basis – contracts, etc. • Ceremonial – signing person knows when s/he enters a contract

  3. But . . . • Forgery • Falsified ID • Altered documents • Insecure – couriers, agencies, secretaries

  4. Therefore: • Digital Signatures!!! • Short history • Technology • How to . . .

  5. Short history of digital signatures • DSS - Federal Information Processing Standards Publications (FIPS PUBS) – publication 186: May 19, 1994 • The standard (DSS) specifies a DSA appropriate for applications requiring a digital rather than a written signature • Specifications also in this document

  6. Technology • Dig. sig. computed such that identity of signatory and integrity of data can be verified • Public/private keys – encode with private, verify with public • This ensures a nonrepudiation policy, as well – once message has been verified, signatory cannot repudiate involvement with message/contract

  7. Tech. (cont.) • Encryption can also be accomplished using many modern software packages (PGP, for example) – sign and encrypt with private keys • De-encryption and verification by public keys

  8. How to . . . • To use such technology, get digital signing/encryption software • PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) (www.pgpi.org) • Fairly well known • Offers many features • E-mail encryption • Instant Message encryption (using MSN Messenger) • PGPNet – all network communications can be encrypted • Search engine – “Digital Signature” or “Encryption”

  9. Sources: • http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/fip186.htm (Federal Information Processing Standards Publications) • http://www.abanet.org/scitech/ec/isc/dsg-tutorial.html (American Bar Association - Digital Signature Guidelines Tutorial) • http://www.pgpi.org/ (International PGP Home Page) • http://web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html (MIT distribution site for PGP)

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