Patent ID: 7966652

Claim:
A method for efficient delegated authentication to allow a delegator entity, to delegate authority to another delegatee entity, to obtain information from, or take actions at, a third entity, on its behalf; the method comprising: configuring a processor to perform the steps of: (a) the delegatee entity sending the first SSL Client-Hello handshake message, to the third entity, via the delegator entity, which the delegatee entity authenticates, and having the delegator entity approve the submission of the request en route; (b) the third entity replying by sending the SSL Server-Hello handshake message to the delegatee entity, via the delegator entity which the third entity authenticates, and having the delegator entity approve the submission of the response en route; (c) the delegatee entity replying by sending the SSL Client-Key-Exchange handshake message to the third entity, via the delegator entity; (d) the delegatee entity and the third entity agreeing on a master-secret not known to there delegator which can be used to authenticate each other; and (e) the third entity replying by sending the SSL Server-Finished handshake message including a delegation-ticket to the delegatee entity, via the delegator entity, wherein the ticket contains parameters to be used for a session with said delegator entity including a ticked lifetime for which the session can be reused and wherein said parameters can be reused to allow a plurality of delegated authentication sessions on behalf of, and via, a different delegator entity between said delegatee and said third entities without having to reestablished session parameters during said ticket lifetime time.