Managing IP network trust
Trust management is gaining in importance for numerous types of IP interconnected devices. Networked devices can form an internet grid able to share services which benefits users. Some examples of such devices include sensors, mobile phones, media centres, home equipment, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and laptops. Ownership and trust between and within these groups is a critical issue, so much so that networks nowadays need to be based on trust instead on connectivity criteria. A Network of Trust (NT) may include any group of Internet protocol (IP) networked devices identified according to a certificate signed by an owner. The owner of an NT creates a root key pair of a public and private key and a root certificate all of which is done offline. The owner then signs the certificates of the devices which make up the NT using the root private key which is stored in a secure place. Given this, an IP networked device having a certificate signed by the root private key is owned by the issuer of the root certificate and belongs to an NT. A set of IP networked devices can help distinguish the home NT, one or many foreign NTs as well as any number of un-trusted devices. Un-trusted devices include those that are not able to present any certificate signed either by the owner of the home NT or by any trusted owner of a foreign NT.
