Subject: STANDARDS WHICH SUPPORT DIGITAL SIGNATURES AVAILABLE

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 14:06:39 -0700

possibly of some interest ...

---------------------- Forwarded by Lynn Wheeler/CA/FDMS/FDC on 08/11/2000 12:38
PM ---------------------------

[email-masked] on 08/10/2000 08:51:10 AM

To:   [email-masked]
Subject:  STANDARDS WHICH SUPPORT DIGITAL SIGNATURES AVAILABLE

http://www.x9.org/altavista/x9/dispatch.cgi/_T_X9F_docshare/showFolder/100119C
ONTACT:  John Hall
(202) 663-5473

STANDARDS WHICH SUPPORT DIGITAL SIGNATURES AVAILABLE

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 -- Standards for adopting digital signatures -- the latest
financial tool for validating e-commerce transactions -- are availaable through
the Accredited Standards Committee X9, the national standards setting body for
the financial services industry.  ASC X9 is accredited by the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI).

These standards are the cornerstone for the new federal law governing digital
signatures, which goes into effect in October of this year.  Assuring wide
usage, the ASC X9 digital signature standards listed below have all been adopted
in the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) FIPS 186-2, Digital
Signature Standard (DSS), as the only signature algorithms approved for use by
the U.S. government.

ASC X9 and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency
of the federal government, are developing procedures for testing and validating
products designed to use these standards.  Once established, institutions will
be able to purchase products validated by a laboratory accredited by both the
U.S. and Canadian governments.

The standards define procedures for generating, verifying and securing digital
signatures.
They include:
Public Key Cryptography Using Irreversible Algorithms (X9.30-1), Part 1: The
Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA).  This standard defines a method for digital
signature generation and verification of financial messages and data using the
DSA.  In addition, the standard provides criteria for generation of public and
private keys required by DSA and the procedural controls needed for the secure
use of the algorithm.

Public Key Cryptography Using Irreversible Algorithms (X9.30-2), Part 2: The
Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-1).  This standard defines a technique for computing
a shortened representation of a message digest, which is computed during the
digital signature generation and verification process.  Any subsequent change to
the message will, with a very high probability, result in a different message
digest, and the signature will fail to verify.

Digital Signatures Using Reversible Public Key Cryptography for the Financial
Services Industry (X9.31)  This standard defines a method for digital signature
generation and verification to protect financial messages and data using
reversible public key cryptography systems with message recovery.  The standard
also provides the criteria for the generation of public and private keys
required by the algorithm and the procedural controls required for algorithm
security.  The standard guards against more modern factoring attacks such as the
Elliptic Curve Method, the Quadratic Sieve and the Number Field Sieve by
requiring that the key be sufficiently large to make attacks infeasible.

Public Key Cryptography for the Financial Services Industry: The Elliptic Curve
Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) (X9.62)  This standard defines methods for
digital signature generation and verification for the protection of messages and
data using the ECDSA.  ECDSA is the elliptic curve analogue of the Digital
Signature Algorithm (DSA).  In addition, this ECDSA standard provides the
criteria for the generation of public and private keys that are required by the
algorithm and the procedural controls required for the secure use of the
algorithm.

Priced from $40 - $80 each, they are available electronically at the ASC X9 Web
site's Electronic Standards Store (ESS) at www.x9.org or through the ANSI Web
store at www.ansi.org.  To order hard copies of these standards and more, call
Global Engineering Documents at 1-800-854-7179.  For more information about ASC
X9 or its committees, contact Cynthia Fuller, managing director, at (202)
663-5284

Accredited Standards Committee X9 is the only industry-wide forum that brings
together bankers, securities professionals, manufacturers, regulators,
associations, consultants and others in the financial services arena to address
technical problems, find the best solutions and codify them as nationally
accepted standards.  The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited
ASC X9 in 1984.  The American Bankers Association serves as ASC X9 secretariat,
providing administrative support.

The ABA brings together all categories of banking institutions to best represent
the interests of this rapidly changing industry. Its membership 

ù which includes
community, regional and money center banks and holding companies, as well as
savings associations, trust companies and savings banks makes ABA the largest
banking trade association in the country. ABA can be found on the Internet at
www.aba.com.
# # #

Hector Cruz
ABA, Public Relations
[email-masked]
(202) 663-5315

Forum: X9F - Data & Information Security Discussions and Documents
Entry: STANDARDS WHICH SUPPORT DIGITAL SIGNATURES AVAILABLE
From: David Barnes
Date: 08/10/00 09:46 AM