Efficient digital signatures for mail systems

摘要

This invention relates to a method for generating a digital signature. The method comprises the steps of generating a short term private key, computing a short term public key derived from the private key, computing a first signature component derived from the short term public key, computing an intermediate signature component derived from the first signature component as a function of the number of bits in a binary representation of the first signature component, computing a second signature component, derived from the short term private key, the message M and the intermediate signature component; transmitting the second and intermediate signature components as a signature for the message M. and encoding the signature onto a digital postage mark for application to a postal item.