Patent ID: 8374354

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving, by a certificate authority computing device via a network, a request to provision and provide a private key, said private key being for use with a public and private key system; establishing a connection of a requester device to said network for identification, said requester device having made said request via said network; verifying, via said connection, the identity of said requester device by a network path utilized by said connection; initiating a secure session with the requester device using an intermediate agent on said network, the secure session being initiated between the requester device and a private key provider, wherein said private key provider identifies said intermediate agent before said secure session is initiated and wherein said intermediate agent is configured to perform a self-check by scanning processes of said intermediate agent; providing said private key from said certificate authority computing device to said requester device using said secure session; and provisioning said private key, wherein said intermediate agent is connected to said network at a location that provides the requester device with a connection to said network, said intermediate agent further identifying and authenticating the requester device using the location of the connection to said network of the requester device.