First, let’s think about the social infrastructure on which we depend for Net-based transactions. Here the problem is the vulnerability of our electronic communications, whether email messages or Web pages. These free us from constraints of time and place to make it easy for us to deal with anybody else on the Internet, but unfortunately they have granted freedom to the criminals too.

In the real world of bricks and mortar, you can actually meet people you are dealing with, face to face, and visit their place of business. If you have any doubts, you can ask to see some identification or check up on the corporate register. And if things do not work out well, the signed documents in your possession will presumably serve as proof for any litigation. With electronic messages, on the other hand, it is possible for you to be dealing with an impostor, and it is easy for the records of a transaction to be forged or destroyed. Eavesdropping is also possible. Criminals use to maxim effect these opportunities presented by the electronic medium, taking on false identities in order to obtain money and goods, and otherwise interfering with the e-business operations of companies.

What has been devised to solve these problems and make the Internet a safe place to conduct transactions is PKI (Public Key Infrastructure). Public key cryptography is an encryption system that not only protects information but also enables you to check on the real identity of the person who sends you a message or other information. Firstly, with PKI you can use electronic signatures, which correspond to the ink signatures that are common in the real world. This means you can be sure that a message really comes from the person you are corresponding with and not someone pretending to be him or her. You can also be sure that the content of the message has not been tampered with. What is more, you can use a digital certificate to verify a person’s electronic signature. If you yourself have one of the several public or private certification authorities issue such a certificate, together with your own public key, it is possible for both parties in a transaction to use these certificates to confirm each other’s identities. Once an ID is confirmed in this way, you can better trust in the person or organization you are dealing and be sure that they really exist.

The PKI approach is used as a standard authentication technology by financial institutions and for e-government purposes. An increasing number of laws relating to electronic signatures and verification are being passed in different countries, so we can say that legislation is catching up with the technology. To facilitate smooth and widespread implementation, Mitsubishi Electric is offering a variety of solutions based on encryption technology to support the creation of PKI systems for companies and government departments.

What it is important to note here is that these are practical solutions. PKI depends on a variety of technologies, both hardware and software, but Mitsubishi Electric can provide all of these. Moreover, we can offer greater convenience to users. Inputting and managing one’s IDs and passwords is troublesome at best, but by combining encryption with smart cards and biometric technology that can verify an individual’s identity from physical features, Mitsubishi Electric has made it all very simple. A system that anybody can use easily is, after all, necessary for infrastructure that a network society can rely on.

Also different is the level off security offered by Mitsubishi Electric’s solutions. Incorporating such features as a tamperproof secure board for authentication servers, our systems are all provided with strong protection using MISTY encryption technology. As a result they are proof against attacks by cyber criminals. In fact, many of the PKI-compatible systems in Japan are built and operated by Mitsubishi Electric. Moreover, it is also the role of Mitsubishi Electric to link up these PKI systems and create a widespread infrastructure of trust. In conjunction with the global verification infrastructure offered by Identrus, we are facilitating the worldwide intercorporate linkage of Japanese companies.

Verification technology is destroying the myth of cyber anonymity. It is like a powerful light shining in cyberspace. If this light can reach into every nook and cranny, we will be able to conduct transactions with peace of mind, since we can always know who exactly we are dealing with. There will no longer be any dark corners of the Internet where criminals can lurk and hide themselves.