DISTRIBUTED KEY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

A distributed key management system includes a first SCP subsystem coupled to second SCP subsystems via a network. The first SCP subsystem establishes secure communication channels with the second SCP subsystems, and a first key management subsystem in the first SCP subsystem retrieves enabling key(s) for communicating via the secure communication channels from a second key management subsystem in one of the second SCP subsystems, and stores the enabling key(s). The first key management subsystem then receives a first enabling key request from the first SCP subsystem and determines whether the first SCP subsystem is trusted. If the first SCP subsystem is trusted, the first key management subsystem provides the first SCP subsystem access to the at least one enabling key. If the first SCP subsystem is not trusted, the first key management subsystem prevents the first SCP subsystem from accessing the at least one enabling key stored.