Secure Agent Roaming for Mobile Business

Abstract

M-commerce, a new way to conduct business, is gaining more and more popularity due to the wide use of the Internet. Despite its rapid growth, there are limitations that hinder the expansion of m-commerce. The primary concern for online shopping is security. Due to the open nature of the Internet, personal financial details necessary for online shopping can be stolen if sufficient security mechanism is not put in place. How to provide the necessary assurance of security to consumers remains a question mark despite various past efforts. Another concern is the lack of intelligence in locating the correct piece of information. The Internet is an ocean of information depository. It is rich in content but lacks the necessary intelligent tools to help one locate the correct piece of information. Intelligent agent, a piece of software that can act intelligently on behalf of its owner, is designed to fill this gap. However, no matter how intelligent an agent is, its functionality is limited if it remains on its owner’s machine and does not have any roaming capability. With the roaming capability, more security concerns arise. In response to these concerns, SAFE, Secure roaming Agent For E-commerce, is designed to provide secure roaming capability to intelligent agents.