In response to an inquiry by an unsophisticated Subscriber over a nonsecure network, a Provider returns a public key and retains the corresponding private key. The Subscriber encrypts a password using the public key, which is decrypted by the Provider. The password is then used to securely transfer to the Subscriber a key determined by the Provider, thereby enabling the Subscriber to decrypt messages encrypted by the Provider and transmitted over the nonsecure network. This password dependent secure transmission of a key to an unsophisticated Subscriber may be accomplished by several methods, including hashing, key lookup, Wizard protocol, and Warlock procedure. In each method the password is used by the Subscriber and the Provider in correlated operations ending in secure receipt by the Subscriber of a key determined by the Provider.
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