SuperstringRep: Reputation-enhanced Service Discovery

Service discovery protocols are used in distributed systems to locate services for clients. The services that are located as well as the clients requesting service are commonly assumed to be trustworthy and reliable. This assumption can lead to security problems, particularly when clients and services are transient, as is the case with mobile networks. Authentication is commonly used in an attempt to circumvent this problem, but this only provides proof of identity, and does not vouchsafe behaviour. In this paper we present a new protocol, SuperstringRep, which combines service discovery with service scores to create a system-wide score for services which reflects the quality of service they offer. This integration of service discovery and reputation provides the service scores right when the client needs them: while selecting a service to interact with.