Minimal-Footprint Middleware for the Creation of Qualified Signatures

Qualified electronic signatures are recognized as being equivalent to handwritten signatures and are supported by EU legislation. They require a secure signature creation device (SSCD) such as a smart card. Unfortunately, there are neither standard means for the integration of SSCDs with Web applications, nor are the exiting means widely deployed. Web application providers are still faced with a lack of deployment of such means and a lack of integration with standard software. This paper will present a novel approach to address these issues by
a middleware that does not require users to install dedicated software for the creation of qualified electronic signatures. The middleware is deployed as a web application and splits the signature creation process into two parts: One part is performed on the server side and the other part (requiring access to functions of the secure signature creation device) is deployed and executed as a lightweight component in the user’s browser on demand.