PKI Interoperability: Still an Issue? A Solution in the X. 509 Realm

There exist many obstacles that slow the global adoption of public key infrastructure (PKI) technology. The PKI interoperability problem, being poorly understood, is one of the most confusing. In this paper, we clarify the PKI interoperability issue by exploring both the juridical and technical domains. We demonstrate the origin of the PKI interoperability problem by determining its root causes, the latter being legal, organizational and technical differences between countries, which mean that relying parties have no one to rely on. We explain how difficult it is to harmonize them. Finally, we propose to handle the interoperability problem from the trust management point of view, by introducing the role of a trust broker which is in charge of helping relying parties make informed decisions about X.509 certificates

Performance Evaluation of Distributed Security Protocols Using Discrete Event Simulation

The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) that manages inter-domain routing on the Internet lacks security. Protective measures using public key cryptography introduce complexities and costs. To support authentication and other security functionality in large networks, we need public key infrastructures (PKIs). Protocols that distribute and validate certificates introduce additional complexities and costs. The certification path building algorithm that helps users establish trust on certificates in the distributed network environment is particularly complicated. Neither routing security nor PKI come for free. Prior to this work, the research study on performance issues of these large-scale distributed security systems was minimal. In this thesis, we evaluate the performance of BGP security protocols and PKI systems. We answer the questions about how the performance affects protocol behaviors and how we can improve the efficiency of these distributed protocols to bring them one step closer to reality. The complexity of the Internet makes an analytical approach difficult; and the scale of Internet makes empirical approaches also unworkable. Consequently, we take the approach of simulation. We have built the simulation frameworks to model a number of BGP security protocols and the PKI system. We have identified performance problems of Secure BGP (S-BGP), a primary BGP security protocol, and proposed and evaluated Signature Amortization (S-A) and Aggregated Path Authentication (APA) schemes that significantly improve efficiency of S-BGP without compromising security. We have also built a simulation framework for general PKI systems and evaluated certification path building algorithms, a critical part of establishing trust in Internet-scale PKI, and used this framework to improve algorithm performance

How Can I Trust an X.509 Certificate? An Analysis of the Existing Trust Approaches

A Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is based on a trust model defined by the original X.509 standard and is composed of three entities: the Certification Authority, the certificate holder (subject) and the Relying Party. The CA plays the role of a trusted third party between the subject and the RP. A trust evaluation problem is raised when an RP receives a certificate from an unknown subject that is signed by an unknown CA. Different approaches have been proposed to handle this trust problem. We argue that these approaches work only in the closed deployment model where RPs are also subjects, but cannot work in the open deployment model where they are not. Our objective is to identify the deficiencies in the existing trust approaches that try to help RPs to make trust decisions about certificates in the Internet, and to introduce the new X.509 approach based on a trust broker

Securing The Root: A Proposal For Distributing Signing Authority

Management of the Domain Name System (DNS) root zone file is a uniquely global policy problem. For the Internet to connect everyone, the root must be coordinated and compatible. While authority over the legacy root zone file has been contentious and divisive at times, everyone agrees that the Internet should be made more secure. A newly standardized protocol, DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC), would make the Internet's infrastructure more secure. In order to fully implement DNSSEC, the procedures for managing the DNS root must be revised. Therein lies an opportunity. In revising the root zone management procedures, we can develop a new solution that diminishes the impact of the legacy monopoly held by the U.S. government and avoids another contentious debate over unilateral U.S. control. In this paper we describe the outlines of a new system for the management of a DNSSEC-enabled root. Our proposal distributes authority over securing the root, unlike another recently suggested method, while avoiding the risks and pitfalls of an intergovernmental power sharing scheme

Federated identity management: enabling legal control over digital property in the cloud

Timothy S. Reiniger and Dr Richard J. Hansberger review the rapid development of cloud computing services, and issues relating to authenticating identity remotely and the authority and control over proprietary data and information, and whether Federated Identity Management is capable of resolving the problems

Electronic Signatures in E-Healthcare: The Need for a Federal Standard

Healthcare, like many industries, is fast embracing the benefits of modern information technology ( IT ). The wide range of available publications on the use of IT in healthcare indicates that IT provides the promise of faster and more comprehensive information about all aspects of the healthcare delivery process, to all classes of its consumers - patients, doctors, nurses, insurance adjudicators, health inspectors, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians. But the drive towards electronic information in health care is not rooted merely in efficiency; more recently, significant emphasis has been placed on patient safety issues raised by the Institute of Medicine\u27s ( IOM ) year 2001 quality report on the subject. It is believed that the deficiencies indicated in that report can be substantially overcome by the use of IT in health care. However, to make this transition successful and complete, all aspects of health care delivery, information management, and business transactions, have to be logically migrated into the electronic world. This includes the function and use of the signature. The use of signatures in business contexts has traditionally provided two functions of legal significance: 1) evidence that can attribute documents to a particular party, and 2) indication of assent and intent that the documents have legal effect. In the recent decades, state and federal statutes have substantiated these functional attributes to digital or electronic signatures. Many of these statutes derive from model codes, such as the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act ( UETA ), that attempt to standardize use and technology surrounding electronic signatures. Subsequent sections will attempt to identify gaps in the standards which prevent true transaction portability. Lack of portability defeats one of the fundamental goals of health care IT solutions - improved efficiency. The discussion will end with a proposal for a uniform federal statutory scheme for standardized electronic signatures for health care