Public Key Infrastructure

The introduction of public key cryptography (PKC) was a critical advance in IT security. In contrast to symmetric key cryptography, it enables confidential communication between entities in open networks, in particular the Internet, without prior contact. Beyond this PKC also enables protection techniques that have no analogue in traditional cryptography, most importantly digital signatures which for example support Internet security by authenticating software downloads and updates. Although PKC does not require the confidential exchange of secret keys, proper management of the private and public keys used in PKC is still of vital importance: the private keys must remain private, and the public keys must be verifiably authentic. So understanding so-called public key infrastructures (PKIs) that manage key pairs is at least as important as studying the ingenious mathematical ideas underlying PKC. In this book the authors explain the most important concepts underlying PKIs and discuss relevant standards, implementations, and applications. The book is structured into chapters on the motivation for PKI, certificates, trust models, private keys, revocation, validity models, certification service providers, certificate policies, certification paths, and practical aspects of PKI. This is a suitable textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in computer science, mathematics, engineering, and related disciplines, complementing introductory courses on cryptography. The authors assume only basic computer science prerequisites, and they include exercises in all chapters and solutions in an appendix. They also include detailed pointers to relevant standards and implementation guidelines, so the book is also appropriate for self-study and reference by industrial and academic researchers and practitioners.

PKI (public-key infrastructure) enables the secure exchange of data over otherwise unsecured media, such as the Internet. PKI is the underlying cryptographic security mechanism for digital certificates and certificate directories, which are used to authenticate a message sender. Because PKI is the standard for authenticating commercial electronic transactions,Understanding PKI, Second Edition, provides network and security architects with the tools they need to grasp each phase of the key/certificate life cycle, including generation, publication, deployment, and recovery.

A practical guide to Cryptography and its use in the Internet and other communication networks. This overview takes the reader through basic issues and on to more advanced concepts, to cover all levels of interest. Coverage includes all key mathematical concepts, standardisation, authentication, elliptic curve cryptography, and algorithm modes and protocols (including SSL, TLS, IPSec, SMIME, & PGP protocols). * Details what the risks on the internet are and how cryptography can help * Includes a chapter on interception which is unique amongst competing books in this field * Explains Public Key Infrastructures (PKIs) - currently the most important issue when using cryptography in a large organisation * Includes up-to-date referencing of people, organisations, books and Web sites and the latest information about recent acts and standards affecting encryption practice * Tackles the practical issues such as the difference between SSL and IPSec, which companies are active on the market and where to get further information

With the recent Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, public key cryptography, digital signatures, and digital certificates are finally emerging as a ubiquitous part of the Information Technology landscape. Although these technologies have been around for over twenty years, this legislative move will surely boost e-commerce act

An in-depth technical guide on the security technology driving Internet e-commerce expansion. "Planning for PKI" examines the number-one Internet security technology that will be widely adopted in the next two years. Written by two of the architects of the Internet PKI standards, this book provides authoritative technical guidance for network engineers, architects, and managers who need to implement the right PKI architecture for their organization. The authors discuss results and lessons learned from early PKI pilots, helping readers evaluate PKI deployment impact on current network architecture while avoiding the pitfalls of early technical mistakes. Four technical case studies detail the do's and don'ts of PKI implementation, illustrating both successes and failures of different deployments. Readers will also learn how to leverage future PKI-related technologies for additional benefits.

Stefan Brands proposes cryptographic building blocks for the design of digital certificates that preserve privacy without sacrificing security. As paper-based communication and transaction mechanisms are replaced by automated ones, traditional forms of security such as photographs and handwritten signatures are becoming outdated. Most security experts believe that digital certificates offer the best technology for safeguarding electronic communications. They are already widely used for authenticating and encrypting email and software, and eventually will be built into any device or piece of software that must be able to communicate securely. There is a serious problem, however, with this unavoidable trend: unless drastic measures are taken, everyone will be forced to communicate via what will be the most pervasive electronic surveillance tool ever built. There will also be abundant opportunity for misuse of digital certificates by hackers, unscrupulous employees, government agencies, financial institutions, insurance companies, and so on.In this book Stefan Brands proposes cryptographic building blocks for the design of digital certificates that preserve privacy without sacrificing security. Such certificates function in much the same way as cinema tickets or subway tokens: anyone can establish their validity and the data they specify, but no more than that. Furthermore, different actions by the same person cannot be linked. Certificate holders have control over what information is disclosed, and to whom. Subsets of the proposed cryptographic building blocks can be used in combination, allowing a cookbook approach to the design of public key infrastructures. Potential applications include electronic cash, electronic postage, digital rights management, pseudonyms for online chat rooms, health care information storage, electronic voting, and even electronic gambling.

PART OF THE NEW JONES & BARTLETT LEARNING INFORMATION SYSTEMS SECURITY & ASSURANCE SERIES! Access control protects resources against unauthorized viewing, tampering, or destruction. They serve as a primary means of ensuring privacy, confidentiality, and prevention of unauthorized disclosure. The first part of Access Control, Authentication, and Public Key Infrastructure defines the components of access control, provides a business framework for implementation, and discusses legal requirements that impact access contol programs. It then looks at the risks, threats, and vulnerabilities prevalent in information systems and IT infrastructures and how to handle them. The final part is a resource for students and professionals which disucsses putting access control systems to work as well as testing and managing them.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 4th European Symposium on Research in Computer Security, ESORICS '96, held in Rome, Italy, in September 1996 in conjunction with the 1996 Italian National Computer Conference, AICA '96. The 21 revised full papers presented in the book were carefully selected from 58 submissions. They are organized in sections on electronic commerce, advanced access control models for database systems, distributed systems, security issues for mobile computing, network security, theoretical foundations of security, and secure database architectures.