ietf-smime
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [smime] [pkix] Research question: Witnessing by digital signature

2010-06-11 07:37:35
Jorge,

Since it is a topic more related to S/MIME, I copy the SMIME list and I suggest 
that the next message is no more sent to the PKIX list.

I agree that the current notion of signature policy should not be changed since 
it applies to a single electronic signature.

If you prepare a draft for an "extended policy" (the right wording still needs 
to be found), then I am interrested to read the draft.

The next question will then be: should this "formal" definition be done using 
XML or/and ASN.1 ? :-)

Denis

----- Message reçu ----- 
De : Jorge López 
À : Liaquat Khan 
Date : 2010-06-11, 14:24:30
Sujet : Re: [pkix] Research question: Witnessing by digital signature


Hi again Liaquat,


I agree with you that, in this context, generation and verification rules 
should be specified in a signature policy. The problem is that, currently, ETSI 
Signature Policy (or analog RFC 3125) cannot deal with multiple signatures. 
There is no way of binding one signature with another, neither when they are 
parallel/sequential nor embedded.  


In addition, verification procedures for a tree of signatures is not as simple 
as you may think. Among others, tree matching issues appear, and there is not 
simple algorithm for that, specially when nodes of the tree keep so much 
semantic information such as the certificate used, the signature policy to 
which they adhere, timing data, commitment type made, etc. The algorithm 
complexity is non-linear with the increase of the tree depth or tree width. 


IMHO, there were two possibilities: modifying/extending current definition of 
signature policy (under my viewpoint, not recommended at all), or proposing 
another extended policy to cope with these needs, and that could be easily 
integrated with the current one. The latter was my choice.


Kind regards,


Jorge.


2010/6/11 Liaquat Khan <liaquat(_dot_)khan(_at_)ascertia(_dot_)com>

Hi Jorge

You are correct with regards to this stage of PEPPOL, but this doesn?t mean 
it?s against using automated processes in future.  My main point was that 
regardless of manual or automated approach, the policy for how multiple 
signatures should be applied seems appropriate subject for the Signing Policy.  
 Putting this in a separate ?policy? will just make things more complicated IMO 
as its yet another policy to process for the signature verification 
application. 

Regards
LK  



From: Jorge López [mailto:jlopez(_dot_)ha(_at_)gmail(_dot_)com] 
Sent: 11 June 2010 14:26
To: Liaquat Khan
Cc: Pope, Nick; pkix; denis(_dot_)pinkas(_at_)bull(_dot_)net

Subject: Re: [pkix] Research question: Witnessing by digital signature

Dear Liaquat,

(sorry if I have missed some information) I have skim read document D1.1 Part 
3: Signature Policies, and it seems that the Project uses ETSI Signature 
Policies, and that the "binding" between the multiple signatures (when needed) 
is made in human-readable documents rather than by means of automated 
processes. Am I right?

Jorge.

2010/6/11 Liaquat Khan <liaquat(_dot_)khan(_at_)ascertia(_dot_)com>
Note the large European project ?PEPPOL? (Pan-European Public Procurement 
On-Line) considers multiple signature options as part of the Signature Policy.  
 It seems logical place to me.  

Regards
LK

From: pkix-bounces(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org 
[mailto:pkix-bounces(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org] On Behalf Of Jorge López
Sent: 11 June 2010 13:22
To: Pope, Nick
Cc: pkix; denis(_dot_)pinkas(_at_)bull(_dot_)net

Subject: Re: [pkix] Research question: Witnessing by digital signature

Mmm, not so sure about that. Current signature policy is already 
transaction/document oriented, as it establishes the requirements to be 
fulfilled for the generation and validation of the signature, but within the 
transaction scope. There are fields that specifically fix the 
business/transactional context. The necessity I mentioned is what happens when 
more than one signature is needed to complete the transaction.

Well, you could do that at document/application level, but the cumbersome is 
guaranteed. An extended signature policy, like the one proposed in the 
aforementioned paper, can fill that gap in a seamlessly manner, and not 
application-dependent one.

Regards,

Jorge.

2010/6/11 Pope, Nick <Nick(_dot_)Pope(_at_)thales-esecurity(_dot_)com>
Denis,

With PDF's this is handled by producing a document template with the layout 
including the placement of signatures.  I think this is an issue for the 
document standards applying signatures not for signatures standards.

Nick
-----Original Message-----
From: pkix-bounces(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org 
[mailto:pkix-bounces(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org] On Behalf Of Denis Pinkas
Sent: 11 June 2010 09:54
To: Jorge López; swilson
Cc: pkix
Subject: Re: [pkix] Research question: Witnessing by digital signature
Hi,

You are right: there is no signature policy standard or technical document that 
helped to establish the dependences and relationships among several signatures.

The current concept of "signature policy" applies to a single signature. 
If a document has multiple signatures, each one can be done under a different 
signature policy.

So the "missing" concept is a "document signature policy" (not to be confused 
with  a "signature policy") which would tell, 
how many electronic signatures are needed, which signature policies are 
acceptable for each one, whether they need to be parallel 
or embedded, which commitment types must be present, etc ...

This combination of criteria could be important and all these verifications are 
currently left to the application.
It is questionnable whether this should be standardized now or left to the 
application.

Denis

----- Message reçu ----- 
De : Jorge López 
À : Stephen Wilson 
Date : 2010-06-11, 10:17:44
Sujet : Re: [pkix] Research question: Witnessing by digital signature

Hi, 

Among other open issues, a technical one lies in the fact that currently there 
is no signature policy standard or technical document that helped to establish 
the dependences and relationships among several signatures to make them legally 
binding. It would be the scenario of a witness or notary, who must countersign 
a former signature to make the transaction effective. This limitation was 
pointed out by ETSI in a technical report published in 2003 [1]. To the best of 
my knowledge, little research has been done in this direction [2].

Regards,

[1] ETSI TR 102 045 - Electronic Signatures and Infrastructures (ESI); 
Signature policy for extended business model v1.1.1. European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI), March 2003
[2] Jorge L. Hernandez-Ardieta, Ana I. Gonzalez-Tablas, Benjamin Ramos and 
Arturo Ribagorda. Extended Electronic Signature Policies. 2nd ACM International 
Conference on Security of Information and Networks (SIN 2009), pp. 268--277, 
ACM Press. North Cyprus. 2009.

2010/6/10 Stephen Wilson <swilson(_at_)lockstep(_dot_)com(_dot_)au>

Has any work been done in PKIX or elsewhere on formal witnessing of digital 
signatures?  And/or ... does anyone in the group know of real life instances 
where a digital signature is witnesses and attested to using another dig sig? 
Cheers,

Stephen Wilson
Managing Director
Lockstep Group

Phone +61 (0)414 488 851

www.lockstep.com.au <http://www.lockstep.com.au>
Lockstep Consulting provides independent specialist advice and analysis
on digital identity and privacy.  Lockstep Technologies develops unique
new smart ID solutions that enhance privacy and prevent identity theft.



_______________________________________________
pkix mailing list
pkix(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/pkix

Consider the environment before printing this mail.
"Thales e-Security Limited is incorporated in England and Wales with company 
registration number 2518805. Its registered office is located at 2 Dashwood 
Lang Road, The Bourne Business Park, Addlestone, Nr. Weybridge, Surrey KT15 2NX.
The information contained in this e-mail is confidential. It may also be 
privileged. It is only intended for the stated addressee(s) and access to it by 
any other person is unauthorised. If you are not an addressee or the intended 
addressee, you must not disclose, copy, circulate or in any other way use or 
rely on the information contained in this e-mail. Such unauthorised use may be 
unlawful. If you have received this e-mail in error please delete it (and all 
copies) from your system, please also inform us immediately on +44 (0)1844 
201800 or email postmaster(_at_)thales-esecurity(_dot_)com(_dot_) Commercial 
matters detailed or referred to in this e-mail are subject to a written 
contract signed for and on behalf of Thales e-Security Limited". 
_______________________________________________
smime mailing list
smime(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/smime