"Clemson Mathematicians' Collaborative Digital Signature Is a Candidate to Become a National Standard"
Clemson University and three other universities in Europe developed a digital signature that could become part of the national standard for encryption tools aimed at protecting the privacy of digital information against quantum computers in the future. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is holding a competition to select standard post-quantum digital signature algorithms that would protect email, credit card and bank transactions, and digital documents against tampering by unauthorized third parties. The researchers' Codes and Restricted Objects Signature Scheme (CROSS) proposal has been identified as a candidate for standardization. A digital signature is a mathematical algorithm used to prove the authenticity and integrity of an email, credit card transaction, or digital document. Digital signatures create a virtual fingerprint unique to a person or entity, identifying users and protecting information in digital messages or documents. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) notes that digital signatures are more secure than other types of electronic signatures. This article continues to discuss the Clemson mathematicians' collaborative digital signature being a candidate to become a national standard.