The SAM is based on a secure coprocessor which has the following software components: an auction controller and a bids collector, as shown in Figure 1. The auctioneer possesses such a SAM. The SAM has its unique public/private key pairs (i.e. one pair is used for encryption, and another pair for digital signatures) certified through a CA. The private keys are generated inside the secure coprocessor and are hence not disclosed to any one else, including the auctioneer. To hold an auction, the auctioneer provides the auction specification and publishes the auction advertisement. Bids are sent to SAM and evaluated in SAM. Finally, the result is computed and output by SAM.
Figure 1: A Simple Secure Auction Marketplace