A proposal for and evaluation of secure key management in service operation schemes

Private data such as credit card numbers and billing data is stored in a service operation system (S-OpS), where it is usually protected by access control functions. Encryption is effective in protecting data from misuse and unauthorized access by insiders, but it is difficult to use encryption in an S-OpS because the S-OpS´s very complex requirements make key management very difficult. When we use encryption in an S-OpS, it is important that we protect the private keys used in S-OpS processes, but this is very difficult. This paper therefore describes both an improved cryptographic scheme and a secure scheme for the management of private keys. It also presents the results obtained when the performance and security of a prototype system were evaluated