System and method for providing certificate validation and other services

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating electronic commerce by securely providing certificate-related and other services including certificate validation and warranty is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, these services are provided within the context of a four-corner trust model. The four-corner model comprises a buyer, or subscribing customer, and a seller, or relying customer, who engage in an on-line transaction. The buyer is a customer of a first financial institution, or issuing participant. The issuing participant operates a certificate authority and issues the buyer a hardware token including a private key and a digital certificate signed by the issuing participant. The seller is a customer of a second financial institution, or relying participant. The relying participant operates a certificate authority and issues the buyer a hardware token including a private key and a digital certificate signed by the relying participant. The system also includes a root certificate authority that operates a certificate authority that issues digital certificates to the issuing and relying participants. At the time of a transaction, the buyer creates a hash of the transaction data, signs the hash, and transmits the transaction data, the signature, and its digital certificate to the seller. The seller may then request system services via a connection with its financial institution, the relying participant. The system services may include a certificate status check service and a warranty service. The certificate status check service allows the relying customer to validate the subscribing customer's certificate. The warranty service allows the relying customer to receive a collateral-backed warranty that the subscribing customer's certificate is valid. Each participant and the root entity is provided with a transaction coordinator for combining services and operations into a single transaction having the qualities of atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability. The transaction coordinator provides a single consistent interface for certificate-status messages and requests, as well as messages and requests relating to other services.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A system for providing one or more services via a network, comprising: 
 a root entity, the root entity operating a root entity certification authority, the root entity maintaining a root entity configuration baseline for the root entity certification authority, the root entity configuration baseline comprising the operating environment of the root entity certification authority;    at least one level-one participant, the level-one participant operating a level-one certification authority, the level-one participant maintaining a configuration baseline for the level-one certification authority, the configuration baseline for the level-one certification authority comprising the operating environment of the level-one certification authority;    at least one level-two participant, the level-two participant operating a level-two certification authority, the level-two participant maintaining a configuration baseline for the level-two certification authority, the configuration baseline for the level-two certification authority comprising the operating environment of the level-two certification authority.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the configuration baseline of each entity's certification authority is recorded on a form.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a copy of each entity's configuration baseline is maintained by the root entity.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a configuration manager, the configuration manager being an officer of the root entity, the configuration manager further having primary responsibility for configuration management within the system.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each certification authority comprises a technical operations staff, the technical operations staff having primary responsibility for maintaining record of an entity certification authority's configuration.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the configuration baseline for each entity's certification authority is maintained at the same physical location of the entity's certification authority.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the configuration baseline for each entity's certification authority is maintained at a secure location outside the physical location of the entity's certification authority.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the configuration baseline for each entity's certification authority is maintained at an offsite location.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein changes to the configuration baseline of an entity's certification authority are made to address a system requirement.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein an affected party is notified of a change to the configuration baseline of an entity's certification authority.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a change to the configuration baseline of an entity's certification authority takes into account configuration change criteria imposed by government bodies.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a change to the configuration baseline of an entity's certification authority takes into account configuration change criteria imposed by standards-setting bodies.  
     
     
         13 . A system for providing a certificate status check service via a network comprising a plurality of entities including at least one root entity, at least one issuing participant, and at least one relying participant, each entity comprising: 
 a transaction coordinator;    an online certificate status protocol responder, the online certificate status protocol responder checking status of a certificate, the online certificate status protocol responder receiving online certificate status requests from the transaction coordinator, the online certificate status protocol responder sending online certificate status responses to the transaction coordinator; and    at least one hardware security module.    
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the online certificate status protocol responder sends a revoked response regarding a checked certificate, the revoked response indicating that the certificate, or a certificate in a certificate chain of the certificate, has been revoked prior to a particular time.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the issuing participant does not accept liability for documents that have been signed after the particular time using a private key corresponding to the checked certificate.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the online certificate status protocol responder sends a good response regarding a checked certificate, the good response indicating that the certificate and every other certificate in the certificate chain of the certificate is in good standing at a particular time.  
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the issuing participant accepts liability for documents that have been signed prior to the particular time using a private key corresponding to the checked certificate.  
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the online certificate status protocol responder sends an unknown response regarding a certificate, the unknown response indicating that the certificate, or a certificate in the certificate chain of the certificate, is not known to be in good standing at a particular time.  
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the issuing participant does not accept liability for documents that have been signed prior to the particular time using a private key corresponding to the checked certificate.  
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the online certificate status protocol responder stores its private keys in a hardware security module.  
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the online certificate status protocol responder meets a set of minimum security requirements established by the root entity.