science

Mobile signature

Mobile signature is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mobile signature rather than just read about it. In short: A mobile signature is a digital signature generated either on a mobile phone or on a SIM card on a mobile phone. Origins of the term mSign The term first appeared in articles introducing mSign (short for Mobile Electronic Signature Consortium).

Key takeaways

Mobile signature belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mobile signature to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mobile signature from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A mobile signature is a digital signature generated either on a mobile phone or on a SIM card on a mobile phone.

Origins of the term

mSign The term first appeared in articles introducing mSign (short for Mobile Electronic Signature Consortium). It was founded in 1999 and comprised 35 member companies. In October 2000, the consortium published an XML-interface defining a protocol allowing service providers to obtain a mobile (digital) signature from a mobile phone subscriber. In 2001, mSign gained industry-wide coverage when it came apparent that Brokat (one of the founding companies) also obtained a process patent in Germany for using the mobile phone to generate digital signatures.

ETSI-MSS standardization The term was then used by Paul Gibson (G&D) and Romary Dupuis (France Telecom) in their standardisation work at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and published in ETSI Technical Report TR 102 203. The ETSI-MSS specifications define a SOAP interface and mobile signature roaming for systems implementing mobile signature services. ETSI TS 102 204, and ETSI TS 102 207.

Today The mobile signature can have the legal equivalent of your own wet signature, hence the term "Mobile Ink", commercial term coined by Swiss Sicap. Other terms include "Mobile ID", "Mobile Certificate" by a circle of trust of 3 Finnish mobile network operators implementing a roaming mobile signature framework Mobiilivarmenne, etc. According to the EU directives for electronic signatures the mobile signature can have the same level of protection as the handwritten signature if all components in the signature creation chain are appropriately certified. The governing standard for the mobile signature creation devices and equivalent of a handwritten signature is described in the Commission Decision 2003/511/EC of 14 July 2003 on the publication of reference numbers of generally recognised standards for electronic signature products in accordance with the Electronic Signatures Directive. If the signature solution is Common Criteria evaluated by an independent party and given the EAL4+ designation, the solution can produce what the EU directive and consequent clarifications are calling a qualified electronic signature. The current standard dates back to the year 2002/2003 and is in the process being renewed and published by the end of 2012. Most, if not all, mobile signature implementations to date generate what the EU Directive is calling advanced electronic signature. The most successful mobile signature solutions can be found in Turkey, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland with millions of users. Technically the mobile signature is created by a security module when a request for it reaches the device (SIM card) and after introducing the request to the user with a few explanation prompts, the device asks for a secret code that only the correct user should know. Usually, this is in form of a PIN. If the access control secret was entered correctly, the device is approved with access to secret data containing for example RSA private key, which is then used to do the signature or other operations that the request wanted. The PKI system associates the public key counterpart of the secret key held at the secure device with a set of attributes contained in a structure called digital certificate. The choice of the registration procedure details during the definition of the attributes included in this digital certificate can be used to produce different levels of identity assurance. Anything from anonymous but specific to high-standard real-word identity. By doing a signature, the secure device owner can claim that identity. Thus, the mobile signature is a unique feature for:

Proving your real-world identity to third parties without face-to-face communications Making a legally-binding commitment by sending a confirmed message to another party Solve security problems of the online world with identity confirmation (an anonymous but specific identity is often equally good as a high-standards identity)

Public services

Estonian Mobile-ID See [1]. ParsMSS in Iran Pars Mobile Signature Services Project (ParsMSS) has been designed and produced in Iran for the first time since 2011. Pars Mobile Signature Services (ParsMSS) can be provided in two ways: SIM-Based and SIM-less. Registration Authority (RA) connects to this service and issues the electronic certificate in person or remotely. With this service, financial transactions and documents can be signed digitally.

Mobile Ink (Finland) Mobile Ink unites high security and user-friendly access to digital services which require strong authentication and authorization. Subscribers can get mobile signature access to m-banking or corporate applications for example. Mobile Ink is a commercial term associated with the mobile signature solution of Sicap building on Kiuru MSSP platform by Methics Oy. The platform allows simultaneous existence of multiple keys and associated identities with distinct registration procedures. This is used for example as a replacement for RSA SecurID dongles with anonymous but specific identity in corporate access applications.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mobile signature

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mobile signature claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mobile signature before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mobile signature ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mobile signature

In research: Mobile signature appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mobile signature in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mobile signature is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Identity management, Mobile telecommunications standards, Signatures, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mobile signature outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mobile signature in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mobile signature means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mobile signature out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mobile signature in simple terms?

A mobile signature is a digital signature generated either on a mobile phone or on a SIM card on a mobile phone. Origins of the term mSign The term first appeared in articles introducing mSign (short for Mobile Electronic Signature Consortium).

Why does Mobile signature matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mobile signature?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mobile signature.