초록 ▼

A process for using a trusted third party to create an electronic certificate for an electronic file that can be used to establish the file and verify the identity of the creator of the file. The process is composed of two phases, a registration phase and an electronic file distribution phase. In th

A process for using a trusted third party to create an electronic certificate for an electronic file that can be used to establish the file and verify the identity of the creator of the file. The process is composed of two phases, a registration phase and an electronic file distribution phase. In the registration phase, a trusted third party receives information about an author, including the author\s public key and affirmatively verifies the accuracy of this information. In the file distribution phase, an author sends to the trusted third party a signed message containing the hash of the file the author wants to distribute. The trusted third party creates an electronic certificate, signed by the trusted third party, containing the hash of the file sent by the author. A user desiring to receive the file, retrieves the file with the certificate an uses the certificate to verifies, first, that the certificate was created by the trusted third party, and, second, that the hash of the file in the certificate is the same as the hash that is computed from the retrieved file. If these two hash\s match, then the user is assured that the file did originate with the author and is uncorrupted.

대표청구항 ▼

A method for securely distributing electronic information over a network having an author, a trusted agent, and a user, said method comprising the steps of: registering said author with said trusted agent to provide said trusted agent with said author\s public key; said agent verifying said author\s

A method for securely distributing electronic information over a network having an author, a trusted agent, and a user, said method comprising the steps of: registering said author with said trusted agent to provide said trusted agent with said author\s public key; said agent verifying said author\s public key over a communications channel outside of said network; said author generating a hash value of said electronic information using a cryptographically strong one-way deterministic function; said author digitally signing said hash value; said author sending said signed hash value to said trusted agent; said trusted agent decrypting said signed hash value to verify that said signed hash value was sent by said author; and said trusted agent creating a signed certificate containing said hash value.