System and method for secure group transactions
View Patent ↗A method and a secure system, processing on one or more computers, provides a way to control a group transaction. The invention uses group consensus access control and multiple distributed secure agents in a network environment. Each secure agent can organize with the other secure agents to form a secure distributed agent collective.
1. A distributed authorization system for processing a group authorization decision according to a security policy, the security policy running as software on a network comprising one or more computers, the distributed authorization system comprising:
an information element, accessible on the one or more computers;
means for defining access to the one or more computers;
a plurality of secure processing agents that process on the one or more computers, reviewing the information element;
an authorization interface, accessible over the network, through which each secure processing agent communicates a decision to the plurality of secure processing agents;
means for accepting the decision from each secure processing agents and forming a consensus decision on the information element;
a digital group certification signature;
means for posting a result of the consensus decision; and
means for processing the consensus decision on the one or more computers, according to a security policy.
2. The distributed authorization system of claim 1 , further comprising:
means for validating the digital group certification signature;
an authenticating chokepoint filter, implemented on the one or more computers, for rejecting an invalid digital group certification signature; and
means for certifying a processing of the consensus decision.
3. The distributed authorization system of claim 2 , wherein the means for certifying the processing of the consensus decision comprises a group signature protocol having a public-private key pair.
4. The distributed authorization system of claim 1 , wherein the digital group certification signature has a threshold signature scheme.
5. The distributed authorization system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more computers is a network of computers having communications between each computer in the network.
6. A method for using an authorization system to control a group transaction on a network, wherein the network comprises one or more computers, wherein the authorization system comprises a plurality of secure agents, the method comprising:
loading a secure agent onto at least one computer in the network; organizing the secure agent with at least one other secure agent, forming an agent collective;
controlling the group transaction on the network, according to a plurality of policies and protocols, thereby providing a group transaction control;
developing an authorization interface, accessible over the network, wherein each secure agent communicates a decision to the plurality of secure agents;
accepting a decision from each secure agent, according to a group authentication protocol for a transaction; and
generating a group consensus decision.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the group authentication protocol comprises a digital group certification signature.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
validating the digital group certification signature; and
implementing an authenticating chokepoint filter, for rejecting an invalid digital group certification signature.