Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Jaafari, governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) patronized on Tuesday May 12, 2009 (13 Rabi Awal 1430H.) the of digital certificate of Government Certification Center. Through this center, government departments can obtain identity certificates for its staff and conduct electronic signatures.
The ceremony was attended by members of the higher committee for PKI policies in the Kingdom as well as members of the steering committee of e-government program “YESSER.”
In statements on the occasion, Dr. Fahd Al-Huwaimany, supervisor general of the National Center for Digital Certification (NCDC) and chairman of the higher committee for PKI policies in the Kingdom, explained that the issuance of digital certificate for Government Certification Center was made according to strict security and surveillance measures. “These measures were applied in entry and exit as well as during the Center’s operation and dealing with the devices there,” he added.
He noted that international standards require the presence of high level officials as well as an external auditor to ensure that measures conform with international standards and specifications.
He presented a brief presentation on the objectives of the Government Certification Center and how the different government departments could benefit from it. He also briefed the gathering on the security measures being applied in the Center.
At their designated area at NCDC, the attendees watched the 15-member operation team while executing the most important steps for issuing digital certificate of the government certification center.
Eng. Mohammed bin Aidan Al-Ghamdi, the project director and assistant director general of NCDC, announced the completion of the part for digital key encryption in preparation for issuing the digital certificate later on the same day.
It is worth mentioning that NCDC was commissioned to establish and operate the public key infrastructure (PKI). PKI is a security integrated system for managing security keys used for achieving information confidentiality, authentication of users' identities, ensuring data integrity against tampering and change, and using digital signatures. This security structure enables all types and classes of web users to perform electronic transactions in full security, credibility and safety.
The PKI infrastructure is the security main base for executing electronic services for e-government and e-commerce programs. PKI supports message encryption and digital signatures that further enhance transactional security.