This paper details the processes by which ProofMark tags electronic records with a self-validating cryptographic seal that acts as a "tamper indicator" based on a true and provable time-reference datum. With this it is able to provide instantaneous and irrefutable proof of authenticity, no matter where the data resides or who has controlled it.
ProofSpace White Paper
ProofMark System
Technical Overview
Cryptographic Data Integrity Seal & Trusted Timestamp Issuance, Preservation and Validation
By Jacques R. Francoeur and Bruce MoultonEdited by Dr. Yiqun Lisa Yin and Kurt Stammberger
ProofSpace900 Clancy Ave NEGrand Rapids, MI 49503(312) 933.8823www.proofspace.comProofSpace White Paper
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 31.1 What is a ProofMark? 41.2 What is the ProofMark System? 51.3 Integrating the ProofMark System into the Information Life Cycle 6
2. The ProofMark System - Core Constructs and Architecture 82.1 ProofMark System Core Constructs 82.1.1 The Time Interval 82.1.2 The Public/Private Key Pair 92.2 ProofMark System Architecture 92.2.1 ProofMark Servers and Clients 92.2.2 Forensic Repository 10
3. The ProofMark System - Processes and Operations 103.1 ProofMark Issuance 103.1.1 The ProofMark Request 113.1.2 ProofMark Construction 123.1.3 ProofMark Response 153.2 ProofMark Validation 163.2.1 ProofMark Level Verifications 173.2.2 Forensic Repository Level Verifications 183.3 ProofMark Preservation 193.3.1 ProofMark Registration 193.3.2 Forensic Repository Management 193.4 ProofMark System Operation 223.4.1 Time Sourcing 233.4.2 Interval Record Management 233.4.3 Current Interval Operation 243.4.4 Next Interval Activation 24Conclusion 26Bibliography 27About the Authors 28ProofSpace Technical Advisory Board 29PPrrooooffSSppaaccee ProofSpace Business Advisory Board 31990000 CCllaannccyy AAvvee NNEEGGrraanndd RRaappiiddss,, MMII 4499550033((331122)) 993333..88882233wwwwww..pprrooooffssppaaccee..ccoomm ProofMark System Technical Overview - Revised December 2007 2ProofSpace White Paper
1. IntroductionWith the rapid advances in information and communication technologies, more and more business records are stored and transmitted electronically. Such advancement has greatly reduced the need for storing documents in paper form, cutting costs and making business transactions much more efficient. However, it has also become more of a challenge to preserve and demonstrate the authenticity and integrity of records for which there is now no paper "orginal".ProofSpace provides businesses with innovative solutions to prove the integrity of their electronic records. To meet the demands of different organizations and computing environments, ProofSpace delivers a variety of customized data integrity applications, Tthe basic building block of which is company's cornerstone technology, the ProofMark System. The purpose of this whitepaper is to provide a technical overview of the ProofMark System, including core constructs, system architecture, and functional processes.In a nutshell, the ProofMark System enables the creation of a "ProofMark", a digital tamper-detection seal and trusted timestamp that can be applied to any electronic record. The ProofMark cryptographically binds the data with an ANSI ASC X9.95 standard trusted timestamp and can irrefutably prove that the data content has not been tampered with since the ProofMark was issued. The ProofMark System as a whole is composed of functional processes for issuing, preserving and validating ProofMarks. These processes are built upon a system architecture consisting of ProofMark servers, ProofMark clients and ProofMark forensic repositories, where all issued ProofMarks are securely indexed and preserved. In addition, trusted times are provided by an authentic time authority, and the overall system operations are further enhanced by well-established cryptographic techniques (such as RSA public-key cryptography and secure hashing algorithms) and distributed networking techniques that provide for "widely-witnessed" transactions.At the heart of the ProofMark System is ProofSpace's patented transient key technology. Building upon widely deployed and trusted digital signature mechanisms, the primary advantage of the transient key technology is the elimination of the administrative overhead and security risks associated with a private signing key in the conventional X.509 digital signature applications. In particular, the private signing key in the ProofMark system is bound to a brief time interval and destroyed at the end of the time interval. This short-lived nature of the private key dramatically reduces the overall risk profile of the ProofMark System when compared to competing approac... [download for more]
