ECC Whitepapers

In this section of the Certicom website, we provide some of our popular white papers about security topics. Look for additions to this section as we continue to develop educational pieces on selected topics. We welcome feedback on our white papers, as well as suggestions for new ones. You can also download a zip file of the white paper formatted in MS WORD. Please forward your comments to: info@certicom.com.

Advances in Cryptography – ECC, Future Resiliency, and High Security Systems

This set of documents, originally presented at PKS'99, by Don Johnson, presents some findings on additional advantages of using elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). In addition to some well-known advantages that suggest use of ECC is ideal in constrained environments (sometimes called low-end systems), ECC has attributes that suggest it is also ideal for use in high security environments (sometimes called high-end systems).
(Download Word Doc & PowerPoint Presention - ECCFut.zip : 92 Kb)

The Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem for Smart Cards

This paper provides an overview of the unique properties of ECC that make it especially suitable for smart card applications.
(Download Word Doc- PAPER7WD.ZIP : 39 Kb)

An Introduction to Information Security

The first in a series of ECC whitepapers aimed at providing an overview of information security and public-key cryptosystems for readers with little background in data security.
(Download Word Doc only- ECCWHIT1.ZIP : 56.7 Kb)

Current Public-Key Cryptographic Systems

An overview of current public-key cryptographic systems and compares the ECC with other well known systems.
(Download Word Doc- PAPER2WD.ZIP : 37 Kb)
(Download Post Script Doc- PAPER2PS.ZIP : 72 Kb)

Remarks on the Security of the Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem

This paper provides an overview of the three hard mathematical problems which provide the basis for the security of public-key cryptosystems used today.
(Download Word Doc- PAPER3WD.ZIP : 63 Kb)
(Download Post Script Doc- PAPER3PS.ZIP : 87 Kb)

Elliptic Curves and Cryptography

An introduction to elliptic curve cryptosystems, and to demonstrate why these systems provide relatively small block sizes, high-speed software and hardware implementations, and offer the highest strength-per-key-bit of any known public-key scheme. By Aleksandar Jurisic and Alfred J. Menezes.
(Download Word Doc- PAPER4WD.ZIP : 40 Kb)
(Download Post Script Doc- PAPER4PS.ZIP : 75 Kb)

Elliptic Curve DSA (ECDSA): An Enhanced DSA

The Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) is being proposed as an ANSI X9.62 standard. This paper compares the draft ANSI X9.62 ECDSA with the ANSI X9.30 DSA, the latter of which is identical with FIPS 186 DSA. By Don B. Johnson, Certicom Corp. and Alfred J. Menezes, Certicom Corp. and Auburn University.
(Download Word Doc- PAPER5WD.ZIP : 38 Kb)
(Download Post Script Doc- PAPER5PS.ZIP : 96 Kb)