Abstract: At least one of a user-buyer device or a point of sale (POS) device having a UI (user interface) is configured with hardware, software, or algorithmic protocols, configurations, and safeguards that combat attempted unauthorized activity and theft by malicious attackers. Such configurations are in place to safeguard transactions between an authenticated buyer-user device and a POS device. Using digital certificates at one or both of the POS device or buyer device enables the other party to verify the other party and ensure that some malicious device has not intercepted communications or performed some man-in-the-middle attack.

Abstract: A digital transaction is secured by leveraging tamper-resistant hardware associated with at least one of the devices involved in the transaction. The mechanism that controls the transaction between a sending device and a receiving device, such as the application or an application plugin, is configured to allocate a high degree of trust to at least one of the devices with tamper-resistant hardware. This way, any confirmations and representations from the device with the tamper-resistant hardware can be trusted and locally relied upon. The tamper-resistant device is configured with rules to prevent certain actions, such as double spending and overspending, among other rules. Thus, so long as the receiving device can verify that the sending device is configured with tamper-resistant hardware, the receiving device can trust that the sending device is acting within the confines of its prescribed rules and that the money will transfer.