Securing Web Services with XML aware Digital Signatures

The evolution of web services has facilitated the integration of business processes scattered across different geographical locations of the world. Along with the benefits that web services provide for high value online transactions, it also poses some security threats. A new standard of XML aware digital signatures, recommended by W3C, provides authentication, data integrity, and support for non-repudiation. Since web services communicate with each other through XML formatted messages, a solution may be found through the use of XML aware digital signatures in identifying the requester web service, validating message integrity and conforming non-repudiation thereby. This research project aims to form a theoretical framework and prototype a solution that will use XML aware digital signatures to ensure proper security in web services messaging.