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Other benefits of using a SEM

Our initial motivation for introducing a SEM is to enable immediate revocation of Alice's key. We point out that the SEM architecture provides two additional benefits over standard revocation techniques: (1) simplified signature validation, and (2) enabling revocation in legacy systems. These benefits apply when the following semantics for validating digital signatures are used:

Binding signature semantics: a digital signature is considered valid if the certificate associated with the signature was valid at the time the signature was issued.

A consequence of binding signature semantics is that all signatures issued prior to certificate revocation are valid. Binding semantics are natural in business contracts. For example, suppose Alice and Bob enter into a contract. They both sign the contract at time T. Bob begins to fulfill the contract and incurs certain costs in the process. Now, suppose at time T'>T, Alice revokes her own certificate. Is the contract valid at time T'? Using binding semantics, Alice is still bound to the contract since it was signed at time T'. In other words, Alice cannot nullify the contract by causing her own certificate to be revoked.

(We note that binding semantics are inappropriate in some scenarios. For example, if a certificate is obtained from a CA under false pretense, e.g., Alice masquerading as Bob, the CA should be allowed to declare at any time that all signatures ever issued under that certificate are invalid.)

Implementing binding signature semantics with existing revocation techniques is complicated, as discussed in Section 7. Whenever Bob verifies a signature generated by Alice, Bob must also verify that Alice's certificate was valid at the time the signature was issued. In fact, every verifier of Alice's signature must perform this certificate validation step. However, unless a trusted timestamping service is involved in generating all of Alice's signatures, Bob cannot trust the timestamp provided by Alice in her signatures.

Implementing binding semantics with the SEM architecture is trivial. To validate Alice's signature, a verifier need only verify the signature itself. There is no need to check the status of Alice's certificate. Indeed, once Alice's certificate is revoked she can no longer generate valid signatures. Therefore, the mere existence of the signature implies that Alices's certificate was valid at the time the signature was issued.

The above discussion brings out two additional benefits of a SEM over existing revocation techniques, assuming binding semantics are sufficient.


next up previous
Next: Mediated RSA Up: Introduction Previous: Decryption and signing in
Gene Tsudik
2001-05-10