Long-term verification of signatures based on a blockchain. (January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hyla, Tomasz; Pejaś, Jerzy
• Is Part Of: Computers & electrical engineering. Volume 81(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-01
• Subjects: Digital signature -- Signature verification -- Validity model -- Blockchain -- Timestamp; Computer engineering -- Periodicals; Electrical engineering -- Periodicals; Electrical engineering -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Ordinateurs -- Conception et construction -- Périodiques; Électrotechnique -- Périodiques; Électrotechnique -- Informatique -- Périodiques; Computer engineering; Electrical engineering; Electrical engineering -- Data processing; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 621.302854
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compeleceng.2019.106523
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-7906

Abstract

Abstract: Digitally signed documents must remain stored for many years. In this paper, a scheme that would allow maintaining signature validity without the necessity to use timestamps from trusted third parties is proposed. According to the scheme, after inserting data into a blockchain, a user can store a signed document in his storage without the need to perform any maintenance actions in the future. The Round-based Blockchain Time-stamping Scheme is proposed that is scalable, i.e., it requires embedding a constant number of bytes into a blockchain independent from a number of input documents. The scheme allows to prove that a document existed not only before a certain date, but after a certain date as well. Moreover, the purpose of the scheme is to meet non-repudiation requirements for digitally signed documents. The scheme allows verifying signature validity using a chain model and under some conditions using a modified shell model.