A Distributed Process Model of Cryptographic Protocols

Abstract: Cryptographic Protocols (CP) are distributed algorithms intended for secure communication in an insecure environment. They are used, for example, in electronic payments, electronic voting procedures, systems of confidential data processing, etc. Errors in CPs can bring to great financial and social damage, therefore it is necessary to use mathematical methods to substantiate the correctness and safety of CPs. In this paper, a distributed process model of CPs is presented, which allows one to formally describe CPs and their properties. It is shown how to solve the problems of verification of CPs on the base of this model.