Registry apparatus, agent device, application providing apparatus and corresponding methods

A registry for establishing secure communication between an agent device and an application providing apparatus, the registry comprising:

• storage circuitry configured to store a device registry comprising a device registry entry for the agent device, the device registry entry comprising a device identifier of the agent device associated with authentication information for uniquely authenticating the agent device and the registry comprising an application identifier for identifying the application providing apparatus;
• communication circuitry configured to receive, at the registry, from the agent device an authentication request specifying the device identifier of the agent device;
• and
• processing circuitry configured to obtain from the device registry the authentication information for the agent device identified by the device identifier specified by the authentication request, and to perform authentication of the agent device using the authentication information obtained from the device registry;
• wherein if the authentication is successful, then the communication circuitry is configured to transmit to both the agent device and the application providing apparatus application key information for performing the secure communication between the agent device and the application providing apparatus.

A method for an agent device to establish secure communication with an application providing apparatus using a registry for maintaining a device registry of agent devices, the device registry comprising a device registry entry for the agent device, the device registry entry comprising a device identifier of the agent device associated with authentication information for uniquely authenticating the agent device and an application identifier of the application providing apparatus, and wherein the agent device is configured to store the device identifier of the agent device and the authentication information for uniquely authenticating the agent device;

• the method comprising steps of:
• (a) transmitting to the registry, from the agent device, an authentication request specifying the device identifier of the agent device;
• (b) performing authentication with the registry using the authentication information stored by the agent device;
• and
• (c) if the authentication is successful, receiving application key information from the registry, and performing the secure communication with the application providing apparatus having the application identifier using the application key information.