Security of Digital Signatures Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Security of Digital Signatures - Research Paper Example We will discuss the history of cryptography as it was initially the first concept that derived digital signatures and encryption algorithms. Moreover, we will discuss the nature, privacy and implementation of digital signatures. Furthermore, we will discuss new tools, techniques, methods and standards that are used along with the drawbacks associated with digital signatures. Introduction and History Even today, where every technology interrelated to Information technology involves the ‘.com’ phenomenon; Internet is relatively an evolving field, which is constantly changing. Extensive use of computing technology has aid different scale organizations to achieve targets. Every now and then, there is a news of a major security breach resulting in an invasion of personal privacy data such as credit card details, emails and vice versa. In spite of securing the networks, workstations and data centers, with the most updated and advanced security modules, there is still a probabi lity of a new threat to break into the network and void data integrity. In addition, hackers and cyber criminals are exploring efficient codes day by day to advance the hacking tools, in order to breach in to classified information, banks and website customer details, steal emails etc. In the end, the mission critical data are compromised, resulting in severe losses for organizations. In this report we will focus on digital signatures and their importance as well as the history, current state, and challenges that still need to be overcome. The concept for safeguarding messages with cryptography has a brief history, as Julius Caesar is considered to be one of the first cryptographic system inventors (Strauss,). Likewise, the system was utilized for transmitting military messages to generals. However, there is one issue that has prevented cryptography to be used globally and i.e. The problem of key management. In the scope of cryptography, keys are numerical values that are the inputs of algorithms that are used for modifying information to make it encapsulated and secure, and to make it visible only to the people possessing the required key to decrypt the message and make it visible. Accordingly, the key management concept incorporates safeguards keys and protects them from unauthorized use, as they will only be visible to users only when and where they required. Similarly, the origin of digital signatures came over 100 years ago when people started using Morse code along with the telegraph for electronically exchanging contracts. Likewise, a validated version of electronic signatures emerged from the New Hampshire Supreme Court in the year 1869 (The history of electronic signature laws, n.d), as it states: "It makes no difference whether [the telegraph] operator writes the offer or the acceptance in the presence of his principal and by his express direction, with a steel pen an inch long attached to an ordinary pen holder, or whether his pen be a copper wire a thousand miles long. In either case the thought is communicated to the paper by the use of the finger resting upon the pen; nor does it make any difference that in one case common record ink is used, while in the other case a more subtle fluid, known as electricity, performs the same office." However, another invention followed that facilitated electronic signatures to be used in everyday life involved in the digital exchange of data or