The invention relates to a method for the identification of security processors in a system for delivering protected multimedia content, in which: upon request from an identification device, a network head-end transmits (136) a command to suspend a first identified pre-determined security processor which, in response, switches (136) from an active state to an idle state; the sharing server detects (120) that the first security processor is in the idle state and then transmits (120) access control messages to a second security processor instead of the first security processor; in response to the identification of at least the second security processor, upon request from the identification device, the network head-end transmits (134) a command to re-establish the first security processor, and, subsequently, in response, the first security processor switches (134) from the idle state to the active state.