# Presentation: 059819

## E-Gov and Security

**Keren Cummins**
***Digital Signature Trust Co.***
**Richard Guida**
***Chair, Federal PKI Steering Committee***

## E-Transaction Landscape

**Intra-agency**
**personnel matters, agency management**
**Interagency**
**payments, account reconciliation, litigation**
**Agency to trading partner**
**procurement, regulation**
**Agency to the public**

## Challenges All Applications Face

**Authentication of Users**
**Non-repudiation for transactions**
**Message integrity**
**Confidentiality (privacy)**
**Liability**
**Interoperability**
**Scalability**

## Potential Internet              Security Solutions

**Pin Numbers**
**Biometrics**
**Digital Signatures or PKI                       (Public Key Infrastructure)**
**PKI Viewed by Many as Only Total Solution**

## A Digital Signature is NOT:

**A *****Digitized***** Handwritten Signature...**
**The Typed Name of an Individual**
**A Secret Code or a Pin Number**

## A Digital Signature IS:

**A Transformation of a Message Using  Public Key Cryptography**
**Virtually Impossible to Forge **
**Provides a High Level of Security**

## Basic Principle of Cryptography

**All information goes into a computer as a number**
**One can perform mathematical operations on the information**
**For Example: Add, subtract, multiply, divide or exponentiate it.**

## Two Flavors of Cryptography

**Symmetric Cryptography**
**Uses Single Number or Key**
**Asymmetric or Public Key Cryptography **
**Uses Two Different Numbers or Key Pair**
**Key Pair Consists of Two Large Numbers:**
**One Called a Private Key**
**One Called a Public Key**

## What Does Cryptography Really Look Like

- Private Key:
- 6448072E 0AD8FD61 F78E45FC 0B9419F9 0E1DD1EF
- Public Key:
- 47F126B5 74A10BB1 EB107322 C2379439 7F7DD52D 6CB89D3F 04A4E434 0A09EE52 6284271E E092C592 C3CC4144  5861CBF5 E8696BFF 85432ED1 B919A328 48B1D9F0
- Hash or Message Digest:
- 53007ADB 04851436  F3F3ACBB F07CA19D 1AC248EA
- DSA Signature:
- 571691CC 0426C2B5 A545D896 C620CB8D 76B7820C

## What’s a Hash?

**Brief series of characters associated with a document**
**Message digest, or “fingerprint” generated by a mathematical algorithm **
**Same document will always generate the same hash**
**A document that has been altered can never generate the original hash**** **

## Creating a Digital Signature

**Hashing**
**Algorithm**

**Message**** **
**Digest**** ****1**

**Signature**
**Algorithm**

**Message**

**Digital **
**Signature**

**Private Key**

*Creating a Digital Signature*

## 		An Example:

- A Signed Message -
- This will confirm my intention to purchase the Empire State Building.  The purchase price shall be $178 million.  Closing shall be on or before April 15, 1997.  Please forward seller’s account number so that I may arrange wire transfer of funds upon closing.  Signed, Donald Trump
**BEGIN SIGNATURE** -
- iQCVAwUBMARe7gvyLNSbw6ZVAQF6ygP/fDnuvdAbGIDWaSMXUIRMuNHYzdZOOcqkDh/Tc2+DubuEa6GU03AgZY8K9t5r9lua34E68pCxegUz009b10cjNt6+o+704Z3j1yy9ijYM8BWNaSp9L2W4nUuWBdlWyel/2PjjRVNZEtqtSRQuPEpJ2IHtx9tGevH10
**END SIGNATURE** -

##       Verifying a Digital Signature

**Message**

**Digital**
**Signature**

**Hashing**
**Algorithm**

**Verification **
**Algorithm**

**Message **
**Digest 1**

**Message **
**Digest 2**

**Identical Y/N?**

**Public Key**

## What’s Missing

**Need to Link Individual Identities to Proposed Security Factor**
**How Do I Know This is Your Password, Fingerprint, or Public Key**
**Enter “Trusted Third Parties” or TTPs**

## Role of                               Trusted Third Parties (TTPs)

**Link Security Factor to Individual Identity  (PKI Uses Digital Certificates)**
**Stand Behind Linkage**
**Demonstrate Sufficient Institutional Stature as to Promote Trust in Linkage**
**Issue a **_***Digital Certificate***_**  Binding Signer’s Identity to Signer’s Public Key**

## Process Flow

*Process Flow*

**Certification**
**Authority**

**Repository**

**Subscriber**

**Relying Party**

**1**

**2**

**3**

**4**

**5**

**6**

***Annually:***
- 1. Subscriber Applies to CA
-     for Digital Certificate
- 2. CA verifies identity of subscriber
-     and issues Digital Certificate
- 3. CA publishes Certificate to
-     Repository
***Per Transaction:***
- 4. Subscriber digitally signs and
-     sends electronic message to
-     relying party
- 5. Relying party goes to the
-     Repository to check validity of the     Subscriber’s Certificate.
- 6. Repository returns copy of
-     certificate and results of status
-     check

**7**

## Likely Candidates                      for “TTP” Role

**Government Agencies**
**Financial Institutions**
**Employers (In their own COI )**

## Legal Framework

**Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA)**
- supports the use of electronic signatures for transactions with the Federal government
- Enacted October 1998
- Covers user authentication and persistent electronic signatures

## GPEA Background

**With some qualifications, GPEA requires agencies by October 2003 to:**
- Accept forms (>50K copies/year) electronically
- Accept electronic signatures on forms and documents
**Encourages**** ****electronic filing and electronic recordkeeping, particularly by employers**

## GPEA Background (continued)

**Gives electronic signatures full legal effect**
**Technology neutral - agencies select based on specifics of applications (e.g., risk)**
- But recognizes that technology neutrality does NOT mean all technologies are created equally
**Focus: transactions with Federal agencies**
**Draft OMB Guidance 3/99; final 5/00**

## Electronic Signatures Under GPEA Guidance

**OMB GPEA guidance recognizes several ways to effect “electronic signature”**
- PINs/passwords
- Digitized signatures
- Biometrics
- Digital signatures
**Each approach has advantages and disadvantages, some more acute than others**

## PINs/Passwords

**Advantages:**
- Simple
- Used ubiquitously, no “learning curve”
**Disadvantages:**
- Shared secret means other party can compromise
- Hard to achieve non-repudiation
- Does not scale well - PINs/passwords proliferate
- Can be very susceptible to remote attack
- Parties must know each other beforehand

## Digitized Signatures

**Advantages:**
- Closest in appearance to “wet signature”
**Disadvantages:**
- Form of shared secret
- No open standards, templates are usually proprietary
- Can be vulnerable to replay attack
- No cryptographic binding of identity to document
- Hard to achieve non-repudiation
- Requires additional hardware (stylus/pad)

## Biometrics

**Advantages:**
- Fingerprints, iris images impossible to “forget”
**Disadvantages:**
- Form of shared secret
- No open standards, templates are usually proprietary
- Can be vulnerable to replay attack
- No cryptographic binding of identity to document
- Requires additional hardware (camera, pad)
- Can be hard to revoke old identity and issue new one

## Digital Signatures

**Advantages:**
- No shared shared secrets between remote parties
- Cryptographic binding between identity and document
- Scales well, interoperates reasonably well
**Disadvantages:**
- Requires infrastructure (PKI)
- Is more complex than PINs/passwords
- Can require additional hardware (if smartcards are used)

## Summary

**Digital signatures represent strongest single solution**
- Also most scalable and interoperable - cutting across agency stovepipes
**Best solution may be combination:**
- Digital signature to bind digitized signature
- Digital signature with biometric identifier to unlock private signing key
**PINs/passwords may be sufficient for some applications, if interoperability unimportant**

## Privacy/ Disclosure:  Basic Principles

**Electronic authentication should only be required where needed**
**Tailor authentication needs to the transaction and the participants**
**Avoid collecting information that is more detailed than required**
**Inform participants that information will be managed pursuant to the Privacy Act, Computer Security Act, and other laws.**

## Legal Effect and Validity

*Electronic records submitted or maintained in accordance *
*with procedures developed under this title, or electronic*
*signatures or other forms of electronic authentication used*
*in accordance with such procedures, shall not be denied*
*legal effect, validity, or enforceability because such records*
*are in electronic form.*
- -GPEA, section 1707

## Additional Legal Considerations

**“****Intent” at time of signing critical**
**Need for banners or other indicia**
**Need to capture entire document with signature - not just HTML “tags”**
**Need to retain ability to validate signature at later date (either directly or through “digital notary”**
**Electronic records management big issue - with or without electronic signatures**