Easy-to-use digital signatures for e-commerce

Microsoft, VeriSign and WebMethods said Wednesday they have developed technology designed to make it easier to use digital signatures and other online security tools with e-commerce applications.

The software trio is aiming to make the new technology, called the XML (Extensible Markup Language) key management specification (XKMS), a standard. The technology is intended to help programmers easily add digital signatures and data encryption to their e-commerce applications.

Security software like digital signatures, online authentication and data encryption help secure contracts and transactions carried out on popular online marketplaces and other e-commerce sites. The companies said XKMS is available Wednesday and they intend to submit it to the appropriate Web standards bodies for consideration as an open Internet standard.

Companies like security software makers VeriSign, based in California, and rival Entrust Technologies have already laid the groundwork in the growing area of digital signatures, which look nothing like the traditional handwritten version. Digital signatures rely on encrypted algorithms that must be used with a password, meaning people do not actually have to sign their name on the dotted line to make a contract or transaction legitimate and official.

Online security is becoming increasingly important to companies that intend to build their business over the Internet, especially with the sudden boom of online marketplaces.

Both WebMethods, which assists companies in setting up business-to-business online marketplaces, and Microsoft have been active in the growing industry.

With the rising popularity of these marketplaces, most of which are still in the development stage, providing official authorisation through some type of digital signature will probably become more important as the volume of transactions from companies online continues to increase.

"A new standard for the XML-based trust services architecture will enable trust through stronger authentication and will ultimately help deliver XML's promise of expanded e-commerce across the board," Jeremy Epstein, principal security architect at WebMethods, said in a statement.

With the XKMS specification, software developers will be able to combine some of these newer technologies, like digital signatures, into their Web-based applications, the companies said.

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