Obfuscating a transaction in a dispersed storage system

A transaction unit configured to perform a commerce transaction utilizing a plurality of encoded data slices to communicate the commerce transaction, in which the commerce transaction is communicated via a plurality of distributed storage units that are configured to store different encoded data slices, the method comprising:

• an interface configured to communicate with the plurality of distributed storage units;
• and
• a processor operating with the interface to determine dispersal parameters to process the commerce transaction, in which the dispersal parameters identify the plurality of distributed storage units for storing respective encoded data slices of a first plurality of encoded data slices pertaining to an authorization request message to request a performance of the commerce transaction and in which the authorization request message is generated by a remote processing unit that transmits the respective encoded data slices to respective distributed storage units based on the dispersal parameters, the processor to retrieve, via the interface, at least a threshold number of the first plurality of encoded data slices stored in the plurality of distributed storage units identified by the dispersal parameters and to re-create the authorization request message from at least the threshold number of the first plurality of encoded data slices retrieved, the threshold number being less than a number of distributed storage units storing the first plurality of encoded data slices, the processor to process an authorization request contained in the authorization request message and to generate an authorization request response to the authorization request, and the processor to encode the authorization request response into a second plurality of encoded data slices for transmission, via the interface, of respective encoded data slices of the second plurality of encoded data slices to the plurality of distributed storage units based on the dispersal parameter, in order for the remote processing unit, that transmitted the authorization request message, to retrieve at least the threshold number of the second plurality of encoded data slices to complete the commerce transaction.

A method for performing a commerce transaction utilizing a plurality of encoded data slices to communicate the commerce transaction, in which the commerce transaction is communicated via a plurality of distributed storage units that are configured to store different encoded data slices, the method comprising:

• initiating the commerce transaction, which is in response to a point-of-sale transaction;
• generating, at a remote processing unit, an authorization request to complete the point-of-sale transaction;
• encoding, at the remote processing unit, the authorization request into an authorization request message that is encoded into a first plurality of encoded data slices;
• determining dispersal parameters to identify the plurality of distributed storage units for storing respective encoded data slices of the first plurality of encoded data slices;
• transmitting the first plurality of encoded data slices to the plurality of distributed storage units;
• determining the dispersal parameters in a transaction unit that has a processor to process the commerce transaction;
• retrieving, at the transaction unit, at least a threshold number of the first plurality of encoded data slices stored in the plurality of distributed storage units identified by the dispersal parameters, the threshold number being less than a number of distributed storage units storing the first plurality of encoded data slices;
• processing, by use of the processor at the transaction unit, to re-create the authorization request message from at least the threshold number of the first plurality of encoded data slices retrieved;
• processing, by use of the processor at the transaction unit, the authorization request contained in the authorization request message and generating an authorization request response to the authorization request;
• encoding, by use of the processor at the transaction unit, the authorization request response into a second plurality of encoded data slices;
• and
• transmitting, from the transaction unit, respective encoded data slices of the second plurality of encoded data slices to the plurality of distributed storage units based on the dispersal parameter, in order for the remote processing unit, that transmitted the authorization request message, to retrieve at least the threshold number of the second plurality of encoded data slices to complete the point-of-sale transaction.