SafeGuard Transaction Client

The Secure Way for Digitally Signing your Web-Based Transactions

   SafeGuard Transaction Client is a browser plugin for digitally signing web-based transactions. It is seamlessly integrated into both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator and also comes with a Java API. The Java API gives applets easy access to sophisticated features like smart cards and WYSIWYS (What You See Is What You Sign). SafeGuard Transaction Client offers you and your customers a simple way of signing any web-based content or transaction.
 

The Challenge

   Increasingly, organizations are putting important business applications on-line for the benefit of their customers, suppliers and, of course, themselves. The perceived risks of the Internet and the largely unresolved liability issue not only undermine the confidence of customers and business partners, but also inhibit companies in getting the most out of e-business.
   If your business process requires undeniable transactions, digital signatures are the solution. It is absolutely essential that your business partners and customers are convinced that they will not only benefit from using digital transactions, but that you have eliminated any potential risks. Foremost, how can they be sure that, when signing a transaction, they really sign only and exactly the information they were presented on the screen?
   Security is not just there to keep the bad guys away but is equally beneficial in creating a relationship of trust between you and your business partners. A digital signature solution allows you to establish a reliable reputation to attract Internet business in the first place.

   Digital signatures are a vital requirement for secure business transactions. Whether you are building e-business, e-government, e banking, web store or e-brokerage applications, SafeGuard Transaction Client enables you to digitally sign any web-based transactions.

   Governments have started to regulate e-commerce and are addressing the legal issues involved in accepting digital transactions and legislating cross-border transactions. They are also trying to bridge the gap between legislation and technology. A good example of this is the adoption of laws on the use of legally valid digital signatures in both the European Union and the United States.

   Utimaco Safeware is involved in the European Electronic Signature Standardization Initiative (EESSI) and continues to adapt the Transaction Client to meet the goals set out by this initiative.
 

The product

   SafeGuard Transaction Client can be implemented either as a signature transaction browser plug-in or as a Java library for Java applets. The Transaction Client allows critical key management (special signature key protection for non-repudiation of transactions), the "What You See Is What You Sign" (WYSIWYS) display and interaction with the user for digitally signing and storing transactions.
 

Characteristics

   With SafeGuard Transaction Client you can use your sensitive private keys from within software key files or from smart cards depending on the security level you need for your application. The client is open to a broad variety of smart cards and tokens.

   The SafeGuard Transaction Client does not enforce a specific protocol between itself and the server application. In addition, the Transaction Client already supports the special protocol used for the Identrus signature process.
In Internet environments, it is extremely difficult to gain the necessary level of trust from end users. You can provide these end users with a WYSIWYS display, local transaction storage and a signature PIN to put the user in control and to demonstrate the trustworthiness.

   To give the user a sense of control over what he does, the Transaction Client has the option to store a copy of the transactions locally for later reference.
 

System requirements

Platform
   PC with Intel Pentium processor or compatible

Operating system
        • Microsoft Windows 95
        • Microsoft Windows 98
        • Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0
        • Microsoft Windows 2000
        • Windows Internet Explorer (version 4.x or above)/ Netscape Navigator (version 4.7 or above)
 

Security features

Signature
   PKCS#7, specific signature format

Standards
   PKCS#7, PKCS#11, PKCS#12, X.509 v3, HTTP, MIME

Tokens
   PKCS#12 key files and smart cards from Utimaco Safeware, Oberthur*, Setec* and Datakey*