RE: Digital signature Question

["David Gillett" <gillettdavid () fhda edu>]

  The point of using a symmetric key and encrypting it using
the private key is that you've got a lot of data to encrypt
and using the asymmetric private key on it would take too long.
  In the case of a digital signature, the digest you're
encrypting is not much bigger than a symmetric key -- adding a
symmetric key encrypted with the private key would add
substantially to the volume of encrypted data without appreciably
reducing the decrypt effort.

  So while you certainly *could* do it that way, I wouldn't
expect the usual reason for doing it to offer any payoff in
this case.

David Gillett


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roger A. Grimes [mailto:rogerg () cox net]
> Sent: November 6, 2003 10:53
> To: security-basics () securityfocus com
> Subject: Digital signature Question
>
>
> It's that time of the month again, when I gain weight, retain
> water, and
> feel stressed...it's time for me to bug the fine folks of
> this list with my
> seemingly monthly question about public/private crypto stuff.
>  I've asked a
> few questions over the months and the excellent responses have been
> overwhelming.  I always get my answer (and enough wrong
> replies to make me
> realize that I'm not the only one still trying to understand
> crypto even
> after ten years in the security field).  So, thanks in
> advance to anyone who
> answers.
>
> Main Question:  When I hash a message to authenticate it, and
> then encrypt
> the hash result with a private key to make a digital signature, is the
> private key I'm using at that point (normally) a shared
> symmetric private
> key or my private key from my private/public key pair?
>
> I see many web sites (ex. www.whatis.com, and many others
> saying) that a
> digital signature is made when the user uses their CA
> assigned private key
> to encrypt the hash result.  But my understanding has always been that
> private/public key crypto exists mainly to transport the more
> secure shared
> symmetric private key that does the original signing/encrypting.
>
> Hence, I think the answer is that the message hash is signed
> by the shared
> symmetric private key and that key is they signed by the
> sender's private
> key from the sender's private/public key pair.  Am I correct?
>
> If so, when is the digital signature made?  At what point...when it is
> signed by the symmetric private key or by the private key from the
> private/public key pair?
>
> Roger
>
> **************************************************************
> **************
> ****
> *Roger A. Grimes, Computer Security Consultant
> *CPA, MCSE:Security (NT/2000/2003), CNE (3/4), A+
> *email: rogerg () cox net
> *cell: 757-615-3355
> *Author of Malicious Mobile Code:  Virus Protection for
> Windows by O'Reilly
> *http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/malmobcode
> *Author of upcoming Honeypots for Windows (Apress)
> **************************************************************
> **************
> *****
>
>
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Forum Systems PRESIDIO: PGP / XML GATEWAY APPLIANCE
The Presidio integrates PGP data encryption and XML Web Services security to 
simplify the management and deployment of PGP and reduce overall PGP costs 
by up to 80%.
FREE WHITEPAPER & 30 Day Trial - 
http://www.securityfocus.com/sponsor/ForumSystems_security-basics_031027 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------