Secure telecommunications

• US 10,135,612 B1
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wickr Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wickr Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leavy, Thomas Michael, Kasabwala, Dipakkumar R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Darren B
• Application Number:
  US15/381,095
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0643 Hash functions, e.g. MD5, SHA, HMAC or f9 MAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0833 involving conference or group key network architectures or network communication protocols for key management in group communication in a packet data network H04L63/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3066 involving algebraic varieties, e.g. elliptic or hyper-elliptic curves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/69 Identity-dependent

Abstract

The present disclosure describes techniques for configuring and participating in encrypted audio calls, audio conferences, video calls, and video conferences. In particular, a call initiator generates a meeting identifier and a first meeting key, which are encrypted using a first encryption key and distributed to one or more participants of the call. The one or more participants decrypt the meeting identifier and the first meeting key, and use that information to participate in the encrypted call. Further, participants respond to the encrypted communication data by encrypting their reply data with the first meeting key. The call initiator decrypts the reply data using the first meeting key.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

detect, on a first device, a re-keying event during a secure telecommunication;

in response to detecting the re-keying event, generate, by the first device, a second meeting key from ephemeral environmental noise from a kernel operation executing on the first device;

generate, by the first device, a second encryption key;

encrypt, by the first device, the second meeting key with the second encryption key; and

transmit, from the first device, the encrypted second meeting key to a subset of a plurality of participants of the secure telecommunication; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the re-keying event includes at least one of one of the plurality of participants rejecting a request to join the secure telecommunication, one or more participants leaving the secure telecommunication, and one or more participants being removed from the secure telecommunication.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

encrypt communication data intended for the secure telecommunication using the second meeting key after transmitting the encrypted second key to the subset of the plurality of participants.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit the communication data encrypted with the second meeting key to the subset of the plurality of participants.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

encrypt the second encryption key with a key-encrypting key unique to each of the subset of participants;

encrypt the encrypted second encryption key with a device key unique to each of the one or more receivers to produce a twice-encrypted second encryption key; and

transmit the twice-encrypted second encryption key to the one or more receivers in the secure telecommunication request.

6. A method comprising:

detecting, on a first device, a re-keying event during a secure telecommunication;

in response to detecting the re-keying event, generating, by the first device, a second meeting key from ephemeral environmental noise from a kernel operation executing on the first device;

generating, by the first device, a second encryption key;

encrypting, by the first device, the second meeting key with the second encryption key; and

transmitting, from the first device, the encrypted second meeting key to a subset of a plurality of participants of the secure telecommunication.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the re-keying event includes at least one of one of the plurality of participants rejecting a request to join the secure telecommunication, one or more participants leaving the secure telecommunication, and one or more participants being removed from the secure telecommunication.

8. The method of claim 6, comprising:

encrypting communication data intended for the secure telecommunication using the second meeting key after transmitting the encrypted second key to the subset of the plurality of participants.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

transmitting the communication data encrypted with the second meeting key to the subset of the plurality of participants.

10. The method of claim 6, comprising:

encrypting the second encryption key with a key-encrypting key unique to each of the subset of participants;

encrypting the encrypted second encryption key with a device key unique to each of the one or more receivers to produce a twice-encrypted second encryption key; and

transmitting the twice-encrypted second encryption key to the one or more receivers in the secure telecommunication request.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform the steps of:

detecting a re-keying event during a secure telecommunication;

in response to detecting the re-keying event, generating a second meeting key from ephemeral environmental noise from a kernel operation executing on a first device;

generating a second encryption key;

encrypting the second meeting key with the second encryption key; and

transmitting the encrypted second meeting key to a subset of a plurality of participants of the secure telecommunication.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the re-keying event includes at least one of one of the plurality of participants rejecting a request to join the secure telecommunication, one or more participants leaving the secure telecommunication, and one or more participants being removed from the secure telecommunication.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, comprising instructions for:

encrypting communication data intended for the secure telecommunication using the second meeting key after transmitting the encrypted second key to the subset of the plurality of participants.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, comprising instructions for:

transmitting the communication data encrypted with the second meeting key to the subset of the plurality of participants.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, comprising instructions for:

encrypting the second encryption key with a key-encrypting key unique to each of the subset of participants;

encrypting the encrypted second encryption key with a device key unique to each of the one or more receivers to produce a twice-encrypted second encryption key; and

transmitting the twice-encrypted second encryption key to the one or more receivers in the secure telecommunication request.