Integrating a key distribution procedure into the digital signature standard

The DSS (digital signature standard) is suitable only for authenticating data which are also sent in clear. This prevents its direct use in exchanging secret keys (to be used in symmetric encryption systems). An obvious way of overcoming this drawback is integrating a DH (Diffie-Hellman) key distribution procedure with a DSS authentication. A means of integrating the modular exponentiation operations executed in both the DSS and the DH procedures, in a way which provides a compact key distribution procedure, is presented.