Patent ID: 8442234

Claim:
A method for verifying a key comprising subkeys for use in a web of trust security environment, the method being for operation on a message server and comprising: determining at the message server whether the key comprising subkeys has been revoked; if the key comprising subkeys has not been revoked, receiving a current version of the key comprising subkeys from a key server; comparing the key comprising subkeys with the current version thereof received from the key server; if the key comprising subkeys does not match the current version thereof received from the key server, then transmitting, to a mobile device coupled to the message server, at least one subkey of the current version of the key comprising subkeys received from the key server; determining at the message server whether one or more signatures of the key comprising subkeys are different from corresponding one or more signatures of the current version of the key comprising subkeys received from the key server; and issuing a notification to the mobile device if the one or more signatures of the key comprising subkeys are different from corresponding one or more signatures of the current version of the key comprising subkeys received from the key server.