Common Data Security Architecture

Overview | Specifications | Presentations | Download Implementation

The CDSA specification, as the figure shows, is composed of four layers:

• Applications
• A collection of System Security Services
• A Common Security Services Manager (CSSM)
• Add-in modules that implement cryptographic operations and trust model-specific policies

The CSSM is, in turn, made up of four primary components:

• Cryptographic Services Manager - Manages the selection and use of cryptographic algorithms and key management. The manager allows applications to query a Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP) and determine if it is available, what algorithms it supports, and what keys are stored within the CSP. A CSP typically performs operations like encryption, decryption, digital signature generation, key-pair generation, random-number generation and key exchange.

• Certificate Services Manager - Responsible for creation, manipulation, and use of digital certificates and certificate revocation lists. The manager allows an application to view, find, and retrieve values from certificates.

• Trust Policy Manager - Manages what actions can be performed by a certificate bearer. Trust policies are defined by certificate authorities, institutions that issue certificates, or applications. Multiple trust modules managed by the Trust Policy Manager implement the policies defined by these authorities.

• Data Storage Services Manager - Stores and manages persistent digital certificates and certificate revocation lists. The Database Services Manager uses a Data Storage Library Interface (DLI) to access multiple user-defined databases.

The CSSM infrastructure also includes integrity services and management of security contexts. Integrity services perform a self-check of the local CSSM installation to determine that is has not been tampered. Context management services assist applications in managing the many parameters required to control cryptographic operations.

The System Security Services layer (above CSSM) is the architectural layer that implements secure communications, electronic commerce protocols, private data storage systems, and utilities for installing and managing the security infrastructure itself.

The implementation available for download is beta software, for use within the United States only. You must download this module if you wish to use the Digital Certificate Manager (sample application) or the Java Interface Adapter available at this site. This download module consists of executable binaries for CSSM core, and default modules for trust evaluation (Intel Trust Policy Module), certificate management (Intel Certificate Library Module), and certificate storage (Intel Data Storage Module). The binaries operate only in the Windows* 95 and Windows NT* environments. The Windows 3.1 environment is not supported. A single software license covers a single download containing these four executable modules. Please read the export restrictions and licensing information carefully before downloading these modules.

The default Intel Cryptographic Services Module is provided as a separate download. The cryptographic services module is also beta software, for use only within the United States. Please read the export restrictions and licensing information carefully before downloading the cryptographic module.

This software expires, becoming non-functional, on April 30, 1997.

Specifications

• Common Data Security Architecture Specification
  
  • Microsoft Word* for Windows format, zip compressed (261 K)
  • Adobe Acrobat* format(129 K)

• Common Security Services Manager (CSSM) API
  
  • Microsoft Word for Windows format, zip compressed (325 K)
  • Adobe Acrobat format (462 K)

• CSSM Trust Policy Interface Specification
  
  • Microsoft Word for Windows format, zip compressed (250 K)
  • Adobe Acrobat format (121 K)

• CSSM Certificate Library Interface Specification
  
  • Microsoft Word for Windows format, zip compressed (271 K)
  • Adobe Acrobat format (157 K)

• CSSM Data Storage Library Interface Specification
  
  • Microsoft Word for Windows format, zip compressed (261 K)
  • Adobe Acrobat format (147 K)

• Slide presentation from the Netscape* Developer's Conference, October 1996,
  "Intel's Common Data Security Architecture"
  • Microsoft PowerPoint* format (71 K)
  • Adobe Acrobat format (45 K)

• First public presentation of CDSA technology at the RSA Conference, January 1996,
  "Common Data Security Architecture"
  • Microsoft PowerPoint format (50 K)
  • Adobe Acrobat format (48 K)

Download Implementation

• Download Intel CSSM with Intel Add-ins
  (Release 1.0, December 1996)
  Windows 95 and Windows NT (714 K)

• Download README file for Intel CSSM with Intel Add-ins
  (Release 1.0, December 1996)
  includes system recomendations, as well as installation and uninstallation information
  Unformatted text (14 K)

• Download Release Notes for Intel CSSM with Intel Add-ins
  (Release 1.0, December 1996)
  Microsoft Word format (108 K)