Legitimacy verification of a node in a distributed network

• US 10,742,409 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2017
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Walrant, Thierry G. C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaplan, Benjamin A
• Application Number:
  US15/839,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20180167218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 713176
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• 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 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• 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 9/30 Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3213 using tickets or tokens, e.g. Kerberos network architectures or network communication protocols for entities authentication using tickets in a packet data network H04L63/0807
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 : using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 : Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 : Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices

Abstract

A method and system of authenticating a node in a distributed network is provided. The distributed network comprises a plurality of nodes connected to a shared medium of the distributed network. Each of the plurality of nodes is provisioned with an identity certificate comprising a public key, a private key associated with the public key and an identification sequence. The identification sequence is unique to the system comprising the distributed network. A second node of the plurality of nodes generates a node authenticity related information for authenticating at a first node of the plurality of nodes. The node authenticity related information comprises a signature generated using the private key of the second node from a sequence, which comprises the identification sequence. The second node transmits the node authenticity related information together with the identity certificate provisioned at the second node to the first node.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating a node in a distributed network,

wherein the distributed network comprises a plurality of nodes connected to a shared medium of the distributed network,

wherein each of the plurality of nodes is provisioned with an identity certificate comprising a public key, a private key associated with the public key and an identification sequence, wherein the identification sequence is unique to the system comprising the distributed network,

said method comprising:

a second node of the plurality of nodes, generating a node authenticity related information for authenticating at a first node of the plurality of nodes, wherein the node authenticity related information comprises a signature generated using the private key of the second node from a sequence, which comprises the identification sequence; and

the second node, transmitting the node authenticity related information together with the identity certificate provisioned at the second node to the first node, wherein the first node is enabled to perform an authentication verification using the signature and the public key included in the identity certificate comprised in the receive request and the identification sequence, with which the first node is provisioned.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the identification sequence is a vehicle identification number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence further comprises a timestamp sequence.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the second node and the first node are each provisioned with an ephemeral key pair comprising an ephemeral pubic key and an ephemeral private key,

wherein the sequence further comprises the ephemeral public key of the second node and the ephemeral public key of the first node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises

the second node, generating a shared secret key using the ephemeral private key of the second node and the ephemeral public key of the first node in accordance with the Diffie-Hellman key exchange procedure;

and

the second node, encrypting the signature using the shared secret key.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identity certificate is signed by a certificate authority, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is provisioned with a public key of the certificate authority and enabled to verify the identity certificate of any other node using the public key of the certificate authority.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticating of a node in a distributed network is used for legitimacy verification of one or more nodes participating in procedure of updating and distributing secret keys in the distributed network.

8. The method of claim 7,

wherein each node of the plurality of nodes is member of at least one group of a plurality of groups, wherein each group is associated with a secret group key, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes stores only the one or more secret group keys, of which it is member, wherein the updating and distributing secret keys in the distributed network further comprises:

the first node of the plurality of nodes, generating an authenticated update key request, wherein the authenticated update key request comprises an indication of a membership, of which the first node is member;

the first node, broadcasting the authenticated update key request on the shared medium of the distributed network;

each remaining node of the plurality of nodes, receiving the authenticated key update;

each remaining node, performing an authentication verification based on the authenticated key update request;

each remaining node, matching the respective memberships with the indication of a membership of the first node comprised in the authenticated key update request;

each remaining node, in case of at least a partial matching of memberships, generating an authenticated update key request response, which comprises an indication of the membership of the respective remaining node;

each remaining node, in case of a partial matching of memberships or a mismatch of the memberships, generating an authenticated update key request and broadcasting the authenticated update key request on the shared medium of the distributed network, wherein the authenticated update key request comprises an indication of a membership, of which the respective remaining node is member.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

the first node, receiving an authenticated key update request response from the second node, wherein the second node is one of the remaining nodes having detected at least a partial match of the memberships;

the first node, performing an authentication verification based on the authenticated key update request;

the first node, generating an authenticated key update response including one or more secret keys according to a matching of the membership of the first node and the membership of the second node; and

the first node, sending the authenticated key update response to the second node via a secure channel.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the identity certificate is signed by a certificate authority, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is provisioned with a public key of the certificate authority and enabled to verify the identity certificate of any other node using the public key of the certificate authority.

10. A system comprising a plurality of node connected to a shared medium of the distributed network,

wherein each of the plurality of nodes is provisioned with an identity certificate comprising a public key, a private key associated with the public key and an identification sequence, wherein the identification sequence is unique to the system comprising the distributed network,

wherein a second node of the plurality of nodes is configured to

generate a node authenticity related information for authenticating at a first node of the plurality of nodes, wherein the second node authenticity related information comprises a signature generated using the private key of the second node from a sequence, which comprises the identification sequence;

and

transmit the node authenticity related information together with the identity certificate provisioned at the second node to the other node, wherein the first node is enabled to perform an authentication verification using the signature and the public key included in the identity certificate comprised in the receive request and the identification sequence, with which the first node is provisioned.

11. The system of claim 10,

wherein the identification sequence is a vehicle identification number.

12. The system of claim 10,

wherein the sequence further comprises a timestamp sequence.

13. The system of claim 10,

wherein at least the second node and the first node are each provisioned with an ephemeral key pair comprising an ephemeral pubic key and an ephemeral private key,

wherein the sequence further comprises the ephemeral public key of the second node and the ephemeral public key of the first node.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the second node is further configured to

to generate a shared secret key using the ephemeral private key of the second node and the ephemeral public key of the first node in accordance with the Diffie-Hellman key exchange procedure;

and

to encrypt the signature using the shared secret key.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the authenticating of the node in a distributed network is used for legitimacy verification of one or more nodes participating in procedure of updating and distributing secret keys in the distributed network.

17. The system of claim 16,

wherein each node of the plurality of nodes is member of at least one group of a plurality of groups, wherein each group is associated with a secret group key, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes stores only the one or more secret group keys, of which it is member, wherein for updating and distributing secret keys in the distributed network:

the first node is configured to generate an authenticated update key request, wherein the authenticated update key request comprises an indication of a membership, of which the first node is member;

the first node is configured to broadcast the authenticated update key request on the shared medium of the distributed network;

each remaining node of the plurality of nodes is configured to receive the authenticated key update;

each remaining node is configured to perform an authentication verification based on the authenticated key update request;

each remaining node is configured to match the respective memberships with the indication of a membership of the first node comprised in the authenticated key update request;

each remaining node is configured, in case of at least a partial matching of memberships, to generate an authenticated update key request response, which comprises an indication of the membership of the respective remaining node;

each remaining node is configured, in case of a partial matching of memberships or a mismatch of the memberships, to generate an authenticated update key request and broadcasting the authenticated update key request on the shared medium of the distributed network, wherein the authenticated update key request comprises an indication of a membership, of which the respective remaining node is member.

18. The system according to claim 17,

wherein the first node is configured to receive an authenticated key update request response from the second node, wherein the second node is one of the remaining nodes having detected at least a partial match of the memberships;

wherein the first node is configured to perform an authentication verification based on the authenticated key update request;

wherein the first node is configured to generate an authenticated key update response including one or more secret keys according to a matching of the membership of the first node and the membership of the second node;

wherein the first node is configured to send the authenticated key update response to the second node via a secure channel.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the authenticated key update request response comprises the node authenticity related information relating to the second node,

wherein the first node is configured to perform an authentication verification based on the node authenticity related information.