Proof Linking: Distributed Verification of Java Classfiles in the Presence of Multiple Classloaders

To offload the computational burden of bytecode verification within Java Virtual Machines (JVM), distributed verification systems may be created using any one of a number of verification protocols, based on such techniques as proof-carrying code and signed verification by trusted authorities. This paper advocates the adoption of a previously-proposed mobile code verification architecture, proof linking, as a standard infrastructure for performing distributed verification in the JVM. Proof linking not only supports both CLDC-style and signature-based distributed verification protocols, but it also provides interoperability between the two. To ground our work in the real-world requirements of Java bytecode verification, we also extend previous work on proof linking to handle multiple classloaders.