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Digital Signature Infrastructure
A Digital Signature Infrastructure, or PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) is a “combination of technology
(hardware and software), processes (policies, practices and procedures) and legal components
(agreements) that associate the identity of the holder of a private key with its corresponding
public key, using asymmetric cryptography technology” The use of a PKI in digital environments
can be varied: to protect confidentiality (through the encryption of communications or stored
data), to authenticate the identity of an individual or an organization, to report on the integrity
of an electronic message or document, and to guarantee the non repudiation of electronic
messages or transactions . (BUGONI, RIVOLTA; 2007), (RIVOLTA; 2008), (RIVOLTA; 2010)
Components of the Digital signature Infrastructure
Public key Technologies cannot guarantee by themselves the identification of individuals in the
real world, either the identification of physical individuals, public and private organizations or
attributes of entities of any type, such as servers.
For this purpose, other additional actions have to be adopted, besides the public key technology.
When speaking of Public Key Infrastructures (synonym of Digital Signature Infrastructure),
reference is made to this set of elements that comprise the pairs of keys associated to an
identification in the real world. It also comprises the mechanisms to generate the pairs of keys,
the security measures to store the private key, and in this sense it is worth mentioning the
devices for generating and storing the private key, as well as the mechanisms to secure the
private key, that can be from a simple password, a passphrase, or based on biometrics (for
example, fingerprints). (BUGONI, RIVOLTA; 2007), (RIVOLTA; 2008), (RIVOLTA; 2010).
A distinctive characteristic of a PKI is that the receiver of the message has to have access to the
public key of the individual who sends it. Thus it is how the digital certificate concept appears,
as well as the need to have directories where such digital certificates are published, and that
have to be accessible for public consultation.
In order to satisfy the requirements stated in the above paragraph, a PKI involves the following
elements:
- Standards and protocols;
- Software to implement a large number of functions and protocols;
- Private keys protection;
- A public keys repository, its creation, maintenance and use;
- The elements to allow certification entities to digitally sign certificates;
- A legal framework to regulate and support the infrastructure and its operation and
- Services to support the operation of applications that use digital signature.
Summarizing, a public key infrastructure includes:
- A Certification Authority (CA – English acronym), also known as Certification Organization or
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