Hardware authentication in a dispersed storage network

A dispersed storage (DS) managing unit comprises:

• at least one communication interface to communicate with nodes of a dispersed storage network (DSN);
• a memory;
• and
• a processing module coupled to the at least one communication interface and the memory, the processing module configured to:
• receive, via the at least one communication interface, a device list originating from a hardware certificate authority (HCA);
• store the device list in the memory;
• receive, via the at least one communication interface, a hardware certificate from a node of the DSN;
• compare the hardware certificate to the device list to determine if the hardware certificate is valid;
• if the hardware certificate is valid, generate a challenge message;
• and
• send the challenge message to the node of the DSN.

A method to authenticate a node in a dispersed storage network (DSN) having a dispersed storage (DS) management unit, the method comprises:

• receiving, by the node, a hardware certificate from a hardware certificate authority (HCA) or a separate element of the DSN;
• providing the hardware certificate to the DS management unit;
• receiving a challenge message from the DS management unit;
• generating a challenge response message based on the challenge message;
• providing the challenge response message to the DS management unit;
• and
• requesting a signed certificate from the DS management unit.