Keys

Keys are used for XML signature and encryption.

There is an important distinction between V5.x and Version 6 and later applications. The information in this article supports Version 5.x applications only that are used with WAS V6.0.x and later. The information does not apply to V 6 and later applications.

There are two predominant kinds of keys used in the current Web services security implementation:

• Public key - such as Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) encryption and Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) encryption
• Secret key - such as Data Encryption Standard (DES) encryption

In public key-based signature, a message is signed using the sender private key and is verified using the sender public key. In public key-based encryption, a message is encrypted using the receiver public key and is decrypted using the receiver private key. In secret key-based signature and encryption, the same key is used by both parties.

While the current implementation of WS-Security can support both kinds of keys, there are a few items to note:

• Secret key-based signature is not supported.

• The format of the message differs slightly between public key-based encryption and secret key-based encryption.

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Related concepts

Key locator

 

Related tasks

Secure Web services for V5.x applications using XML digital signature