Web services have grown up and developed a remarkable potential: They are based on an open, dynamic exchange of data. Openness is their strength and ensures a broad acceptance. But this openness lacks of security and therefore is also an obstacle to use web services on a broad range in practise. Web services must become more secure to transfer the data worth protecting.

Premises for a secure, electronic data exchange of information are trustability, integrity and commitment. Encryption and digital signature based on a cryptographic procedure are suitable techniques.

A Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) offers suitable software, protocols and standards for such a task. The appropriate and long term way to secure web services is the use of a PKI. The build up and operation of a PKI is quite costly and needs different protocols on the client-side.

This can result in a high complex situation and some applications or application devices may not be able to handle it. New approaches enable a simple communication via PKI. Web services and the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) are simple techniques to take advantage of remote services within a Service Orientated Architecture (SOA).

The XML Key Management Specification (XKMS) defines a protocol to enable validation and administration of keys on basis of XML via web services. The resulting advantages make it easier to handle a PKI. The present work introduces the XKMS Specification, explains its application, shows advantages over disadvantages and gives an insight into the realisation of an XKMS Responder within the project TrustPoint.

Institute for Internet Security
Faculty: Computer Sciences

Prof. Dr. (TU NN) N. Pohlmann
Markus Linnemann
Gelsenkirchen University of Applied Sciences
Neidenburger Str. 43
45887 Gelsenkirchen
E-Mail: markus.linnemanninformatik.fh-gelsenkirchen.de
Phone: 0209 / 95 96 797