DISTRIBUTION OF CRYPTOGRAPHIC KEYS TO ENHANCE CONVENIENCE

NTT is making progress in its research into the advanced data security technologies needed to create advanced applications such as the preve ntion of tapping, signing data being communicated (digital signatures, e. g., ESIGN1), elections based on networks (digital voting), and pe rson identification by using fingerprints. In this report, we introduc e a method that distributes cryptographic keys for end-to-end cipher c ommunications. The method supports key transmission by a wide variety of means such as telephone, facsimile and electronic mail.