SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A DIGITAL CERTIFICATE

• US 20100199087A1
• Filed: 01/29/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guardtime SA
• Original Assignee: Guardtime SA
• Inventors: Buldas, Ahto, Saarepera, Mart
• Granted Patent: US 8,347,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

A system and method for generating a digital certificate is provided wherein a new digital record is received and is assigned a sequence value. A first composite digital value is generated by applying a first deterministic function to the digital records stored in a repository. The sequence value and first composite digital value are included in a first certificate. After the digital record is added to the repository, a second composite digital value is generated by applying a second deterministic function to the digital records in the repository. This second composite digital value, and a composite sequence value, are published. An interval digital value which is based upon the first and second composite digital values, and the sequence value, are included in a second certificate which thus verifies the authenticity and sequence value of the digital record.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating a digital certificate comprising at least a sequence value and a first composite digital value, comprising the steps of:

providing for generating a second composite digital value by applying a deterministic function to at least a subset of the digital records stored in a repository;

providing for generating an interval digital value, wherein the interval digital value is based upon the first and second composite digital values; and

, providing for determining from the interval digital value whether the first composite digital value accurately reflects at least a subset of the digital records in the repository.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence value is representative of the order in which a digital record was received.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital certificate further comprises a digital signature.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the digital signature is generated using an asymmetric cryptographic algorithm.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

providing for determining whether the digital signature is authentic.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first composite digital value is generated by applying a second deterministic function to at least a subset of the digital records stored in the repository.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first composite digital value is generated by applying the second deterministic function to all of the digital records stored in the repository.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second composite digital value is generated by applying the deterministic function to all of the digital records stored in the repository.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital certificate further comprises a digital record.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital certificate further comprises a digital timestamp.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the repository comprises a data structure based on a forest of binary hash trees.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing for generating a composite sequence value by applying a second deterministic function to at least a subset of the digital records in the repository.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the composite sequence value is representative of the number of digital records in the repository when the second composite digital value is generated.