US Patent 8689000 Use of certified secrets in communication

A method is described by which the possessor of a secret certified in a particular manner can prove to a party with which the possessor of a secret needs to interact that it does indeed possess a secret formed in the proper manner. In the context of trusted computing apparatus, this can be used to show that the secret has been provided by a legitimate manufacturer of such apparatus. A method and an architecture for revocation operable in this context is also described.