A Secure and Trustworthy Framework for Mobile Agent-Based E-Marketplace with Digital Forensics and Security Protocols

Mobile agents raise security issues such as the protection of platform/host that runs the mobile agent against attacks which can harm or use its resources without permission, and another is the need for protection to guard mobile agents and their supporting systems against the malicious attacks from a variety of intervening sources that might alter information it carries and processes when it visits the hosts in its transactions itineraries. In this article, the authors propose a framework which includes safe, secure, trusted and auditable services, as well as forensic mechanisms to provide audit trails for digital evidence of transactions and protection against illegal activities. The proposed framework and protocols provide a secure communication for mobile agents when they move to different security environments to deal with e-marketplace activities such as search information, negotiation and payments. This article is concluded by highlighting and discussing further research work to build viable systems. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]