LINKING CREDENTIALS IN A TRUST MECHANISM

A system is described in which a user is able to generate multiple credentials, each of which includes one or more anchor attributes. Since all credentials contain the anchor attribute(s), the user can offer credentials to a relying party even if he has lost his original secret key. In this way, if a user loses a private key used to sign a credential, then he can use a credential signed by a different private key and still have that credential accepted at a relying party that knows the first credential. Furthermore, the invention enables a user to distribute his identity over multiple identity management systems.