Page 129 - DCAP309_INFORMATION_SECURITY_AND_PRIVACY

Unit 8: Cryptography and Encryption

14. ................. can be used to sign or encrypt e-mail messages with the mere click of the mouse. Notes
15. ...................... employs a client/server architecture and provides user-to-server
authentication rather than host-to-host authentication.



Caselet SafeScrypt Issues Digital Signature to Mahajan

AFESCRYPT Ltd, a Satyam Infoway company affiliated with VeriSign Inc, issued the
country’s first digital signature certificate to the Minister for Communications and
SIT & Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Pramod Mahajan, at an official ceremony here on
Wednesday.
SafeScrypt is the first Indian company to get a certifying authority licence for digital
signature from the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA). The company received
this licence earlier this week.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Mahajan said, “This event marks the beginning of a 100-per
cent implementation of the IT Act 2000 and will encourage the growth of e-commerce,
e-learning and e-governance in India. With this, India now becomes part of a group of
around 12 countries that use digital signatures.’’
The Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Mr Bimal Jalan, who was also present, received the
second digital signature.
A digital signature is an encryption and decryption process which uses the public key
infrastructure (PKI) technology that allows for proper identification of the author of an
electronic message as well as authentication and non-repudiation.
The digital certificate is a computer-generated record containing the identity of the
subscriber, the public key and is digitally signed by the CA.
The certificates issued by the CA, in this case SafeScrypt, are legally recognised by the
courts and are given the same status as a physical signature.

Mr Ramraj, MD & CEO, Satyam Infoway Ltd, said, “Digital signatures are the key to secure
online transactions. As an Internet and networking company in India, catalysing the growth
of e-commerce by enabling secure online transactions is a critical point of focus at Sify.’’
Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2002/02/07/stories/2002020700890700.htm

8.6 Summary

 There are many aspects to security and many applications, ranging from secure commerce
and payments to private communications and protecting passwords. One essential aspect
for secure communications is that of cryptography.
 Cryptography is frequently used in distributed applications to convey identification and
authentication information from one system to another over a network.

 Encryption is the transformation of data into a form that is as close to impossible as
possible to read without the appropriate knowledge.

 Digital Signature techniques are designed to provide the digital counterpart to handwritten
signatures and can be achieved using cryptography.

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