Patent ID: 8832432

Claim:
A computer implemented method for validating simple certificate enrollment protocol (SCEP) certificate enrollment requests, said method comprising the steps of, in combination: (a) electronically receiving a request via a communications network from a trusted user for a SCEP challenge to be used in a subsequent certificate request and, in response to the request, preregister the SCEP challenge by electronically storing the SCEP challenge and associated expected certificate content for the SCEP challenge, and electronically sending the SCEP challenge via the communications network to the trusted user; (b) after step (a), electronically receiving a certificate request including the SCEP challenge via the communications network; (c) after step (b), electronically validating the certificate request by checking whether the SCEP challenge of the certificate request was preregistered and if so checking whether content of the certificate request matches the stored expected certificate content associated with the preregistered SCEP challenge; (d) after step (c), authorizing a certificate for the certificate request if the SCEP challenge of the certificate request was preregistered and the content of the certificate request matches the stored expected certificate content associated with the preregistered SCEP challenge; and (e) after step (c), denying the certificate request if the SCEP challenge of the certificate request was not preregistered or if the content of the certificate request does not match the stored expected certificate content associated with the preregistered SCEP challenge.