- Shilled -

Buying and selling online is inherently insecure. Misuse ofan individual's personal information is now the leading concernamong those who engage in e-commerce. This book examines privacyand security issues in online auctions. Various auction fraudissues are investigated, and several novel counter measuresproposed. An online auction server was constructed to aid indeveloping these security measures. This allowed investigation andtesting in a controlled environment. The research results include:1) A complete model for conducting secure and anonymous onlineauctions; 2) A complete model for conducting secure and anonymousonline share trading; 3) Autonomous bidding agents which bidmaliciously; 4) A method for detecting a fraudulent biddingpractice referred to as shill bidding; and 5) Several alternateproposals for auction clearing algorithms. The proposed securitymechanisms have been implemented on the online auction server.Results are given as simulated and practical tests. In addition,the auction server's software design is documented. Many of thetechniques discussed in this research can be readily applied tocommercial online auctions.