A secure auction-like negotiation protocol for agent-based Internet trading

We propose a secure auction-like negotiation protocol for agent based Internet trading, which not only retains the agent's mobility and flexibility, but also takes secure measures to prevent attacks from malicious hosts during the negotiation process. The particular features of the proposed protocol are: (1) negotiation for agent based trading is performed through a novel pattern of electronic auction; (2) negotiation results between two hosts are ensured to be valid with their signatures; (3) malicious actions can be detected and the breeder can be dug out by the help of sociological factors; (4) information gathering and negotiation processes are combined together while few communications are needed.