A system, method, and computer program product enabling individual user
devices to authenticate and validate a digital message sent by a
distribution center, without requiring transmissions to the distribution
center. The center transmits the message with an appended modulus that is
the product of two specially selected primes. The transmission also
includes an appended authentication value that is based on an original
message hash value, a new message hash value, and the modulus. The new
message hash value is designed to be the center's public RSA key; a
corresponding private RSA key is also computed. Individual user devices
combine a digital signet, a public modulus, preferably unique
hardware-based numbers, and an original message hash to compute a unique
integrity value K. Subsequent messages are similarly processed to
determine new integrity values K', which equal K if and only if new
messages originated from the center and have not been corrupted.