Patent ID: 6990582

Claim:
An authentication method for use in an agent system including an agent processing module that leaves user's control and autonomically moves on a network and that executes predetermined processing on a destination server, wherein, (1) a sending server that sends the agent processing module (a) generates a common key from a private key owned by said sending server and a public key of a receiving server that receives the agent processing module, (b) encrypts the agent processing module, which will be sent, using the generated common key, (c) double-encrypts the encrypted agent processing module using an unpublicized encryption method, (d) stores the double-encrypted agent processing module, a decryption processing program that decrypts the agent processing module encrypted by the unpublicized encryption method, pre-distributed authentication object information on an authentication object of said receiving server, an authentication object verification processing program that verifies the authentication object of said receiving server, and the common key into an agent storage container defined in container information pre-distributed in said receiving server, and (e) sends the agent storage container to said receiving server, and (2) said receiving server (a) receives the agent storage container sent by said sending server, (b) verifies the received agent storage container based on the pre-distributed container information, (c) generates a common key from a private key owned by said receiving server and a public key of said sending server that sends the agent processing module, (d) encrypts the authentication object of said receiving server using the generated common key, (e) passes the encrypted authentication object to the agent storage container and requests the agent storage container to verify the authentication object, to decrypt the agent processing module encrypted by the unpublicized encryption method, and to return the decrypted agent processing module, and (f) decrypts the agent processing module, which is passed from the agent storage container, using the common key.