RSA Helps To Secure Web Services

By Richard Karpinski

RSA Security on Tuesday said it has begun shipping a new software development kit (SDK) for adding XML-based digital signatures to Web services.

The SDK, dubbed RSA BSAFE SecureXML-C, can help assure the authenticity and integrity of a Web services message. That's important because the core Web services protocols, such as SOAP, lack built-in security and authentication. And since they are delivered in the clear over HTTP, they are open to interception or tampering.

RSA BSAFE SecurXML-C software includes all the cryptographic and certificate functions developers' need for building XML digital signature-compliant applications, RSA said. That includes creating detached, enveloping, and enveloped XML digital signatures and verifying XML digital signatures to ensure the authenticity and integrity of signed data.

Since most developers lack cryptographic expertise, they need a tool kit like this to add security to Web services messages at the point of creation, RSA said.

RSA BSAFE SecurXML software can also play role in platforms for federated identity management, such as the Liberty Alliance Project, by signing SAML assertions and thus providing single sign-on capabilities.

RSA SecurXML-C software is available immediately.