Secure Recording of Itineraries through Co-operating Agents

Abstract

Security is a fundamental precondition for the acceptance of mobile agent systems. However, it is of utmost importance that applied security mechanims preserve the advantages of mobile agent systems compared to alternative approaches. If said mechanims neutralize them, the question must be raised why mobile agents were chosen at all. Said advantages include but are not limited to the flexibility and autonomy of mobile agents as well as their ability to be transported to and executed on hosts the agent’s sender might not fully trust. In particular, the latter poses dangerous threats which are, despite recent advances, not adequately solved.