A secure marketplace for mobile Java agents

1, ABSTRACT Mobile agents roaming the net in pursuit of information in exchange for different forms of payments, as well as the agent systems hosting them, are exposed to a number of security threats. It is the intention of this text to give a detailed overview of the problems that are likely to be encountered in this context, along with possible approaches how to solve them wherever feasible. To do this, a layered step-bystep approach is taken. Care is taken to solve the most basic problems first, proceeding slowly to higher-level, more complex challenges. In this case, the list of milestones in order are: authentication, communication, resource management, migration, and electronic payment protocols.