A new generic digital signature algorithm

Abstract In this paper, we study two digital signature algorithms, the DSA and ECDSA, which have become NIST standard and have been widely used in almost all commercial applications. We will show that the two algorithms are actually ‘the same’ algebraically and propose a generic algorithm such that both DSA and ECDSA are instances of it. By looking at this special angle through the generic algorithm, we gain a new insight into the two algorithms DSA and ECDSA. Our new proposed digital signature algorithm is described generically using a group G and a map to Number : G → ℤ. As an illustration, we choose G to be a group of non-singular circulant matrices over finite field and describe a totally new concrete digital signature algorithm.