Scalable certificate validation and simplified PKI management

• US 20020165824A1
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Original Assignee: Assa Abloy AB
• Inventors: Micali, Silvio
• Granted Patent: US 8,732,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3827 Use of message hashing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/007 involving hierarchical structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3066 involving algebraic varieties, e.g. elliptic or hyper-elliptic curves
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3218 using proof of knowledge, e.g. Fiat-Shamir, GQ, Schnorr, ornon-interactive zero-knowledge proofs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

Managing a digital certificate includes a landlord providing a digital certificate, a secure hardware device generating a series of n hash values, the secure hardware device providing an nth hash value to the landlord, wherein other hash values are not readily available to the landlord, the landlord placing the nth hash value in the certificate, the landlord digitally verifying the certificate containing the nth hash value to obtain a digitally signed certificate, a tenant obtaining the digitally signed certificate, the tenant obtaining the n hash values and the tenant managing the certificate by periodically issuing a previous hash value in the series of n hash values in response to the certificate being valid when the previous hash value is issued.

Claims

1. A method of managing a digital certificate, comprising:

a landlord providing a digital certificate;

a secure hardware device generating a series of n hash values;

the secure hardware device providing an nth hash value to the landlord, wherein other hash values are not readily available to the landlord;

the landlord placing the nth hash value in the certificate;

the landlord digitally verifying the certificate containing the nth hash value to obtain a digitally signed certificate;

a tenant obtaining the digitally signed certificate;

the tenant obtaining the n hash values;

the tenant managing the certificate by periodically issuing a previous hash value in the series of n hash values in response to the certificate being valid when the previous hash value is issued.