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==Cross-verification==
Through independently operating servers, '''cross-certification''' can provide third-party proof of the validity of a time interval chain and irrefutable evidence of consensus on the current time. Transient-key cryptographic systems display high [[Byzantine fault tolerance]]. A web of interconnected cross-certifying servers in a distributed environment creates a widely witnessed chain of trust that is as strong as its strongest link. By contrast, entire [[Hierarchy|hierarchies]] of traditional public key systems can be compromised if a single private key is exposed.
An individual transient key interval chain can be cross-certified with other transient key chains and server instances. Through cross-certification, Server A signs Server B's interval chain, the signed data of which is the interval definition. In effect, the private keys from Server B are used to sign the public keys of Server A. In the diagram, a server instance is cross-certified with two other server instances (blue and orange).
[[Image:Cross-Certification.png|thumbnail|320px|A private key is cross-certified using two other transient-key servers.]]
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