Digital Signatures Security and Controls

by Fred C. Piper, John Mitchell

In the electronic communication environment it is essential to be able to establish that the signatory of a message is indeed its originator. This detailed publication on the security and control issues of digital signatures addresses all of the vital components which are relevant to the IT audit and control community. Written by experts in cryptography to explain what digital signatures are, how they work, and unresolved issues in their use. Includes audit programs. The Information Systems Audit and Control Foundation (ISACF ™ ) was created in 1976 to undertake large-scale research efforts to expand the knowledge and value of the IT governance and control field. The role of the ISACF is to evaluate the latest guidelines for implementation of emerging technologies and their applications. The Foundation continuously searches for groundbreaking ways to capitalize on those advances to achieve competitive advantage. Information Systems Audit and Control Association ® The Information Systems Audit and Control Association is a leading global professional organisation representing individuals in more than 100 countries and comprising all levels of information technology - executive, senior management, middle management and practitioner. The Association is uniquely positioned to fulfill the role of a central, harmonising source of IT control practice standards for the world over. Its strategic alliances with other groups in the financial, accounting, auditing and IT professions are ensuring an unparalleled level of integration and commitment by business process owners. The vision of the Foundation and Association is to be the recognized global leader in IT governance, control and assurance.

156 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2000

About the author

Professor Fred Piper was appointed Professor of Mathematics at the University of London in 1975 and has worked in information security since 1979. In 1985, he formed a company, Codes & Ciphers Ltd, which offers consultancy advice in all aspects of information security. He has acted as a consultant to over 80 companies including a number of financial institutions and major industrial companies in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa and the USA.

The consultancy work has been varied and has included algorithm design and analysis, work on EFTPOS and ATM networks, data systems, security audits, risk analysis and the formulation of security policies. He has lectured worldwide on information security, both academically and commercially, has published more than 100 papers and is joint author of Cipher Systems (1982), one of the first books to be published on the subject of protection of communications, Secure Speech Communications (1985), Digital Signatures - Security & Controls (1999) and Cryptography: A Very Short Introduction (2002).

Fred has been a member of a number of DTI advisory groups. He has also served on a number of Foresight Crime Prevention Panels and task forces concerned with fraud control, security and privacy. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees for Bletchley Park and the Board of the Institute of Information Security professionals. He is also a member of (ISC)2's European Advisory Board, the steering group of the DTI's Cyber Security KTN, ISSA's advisory panel and the BCS's Information Security Forum.

In 2002, he was awarded an IMA Gold Medal for "services to mathematics" and received an honorary CISSP for "leadership in Information Security". In 2003, Fred received an honorary CISM for "globally recognised leadership" and "contribution to the Information Security Profession".

In 2005 he was elected to the ISSA Hall of Fame. He was named Professional of the Year at the Communications in Business Awards 2005. In 2008 he was elected to be a Fellow of (ISC)2. In 2008 he was the first person to be elected to the InfoSecurity Europe Hall of Fame. In 2008 he was elected to the International Advisory Board of IMPACT (the International Multilateral Programme Against Cyber Threats).