Identity verification based on certificateless public key cryptography

Verification of claimed identity becomes a problem of growing significance nowadays, as the number of e-commerce transactions grows rapidly and new information distribution channels are created by companies and institutions of all kinds. As most of them rely or make a use of a public network, such as the Internet, security of transferred data and information in most cases requires authorization of the user. Unfortunately, most existing authentication solutions create rather weak binding with real identity of the user, while some, like ID documents, are worthless in case of electronic transactions as they are nothing more than just a piece of paper or plastic, with no real connection with the electronic system. A secure digital signature based on traditional PKI, at the same time, relies on trust migrated through commercial companies, with the help of certificates. The proposed protocol of identity verification combines national e-ID document functionality with certificateless Public Key Cryptography (CL-PKC) to provide a safe and trustful way of identity verification, joining most advantages of current systems and limiting downsides to a minimum.