Session key secruity protocol

• US 20030217288A1
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Guo, Wei-Quiang Michael, Chan, Kok Wai, Howard, John Hal
• Granted Patent: US 7,523,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/045 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0844 with user authentication or key authentication, e.g. ElGamal, MTI, MQV-Menezes-Qu-Vanstone protocol or Diffie-Hellman protocols using implicitly-certified keys
• 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 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A security protocol for use in a multi-site authentication system. After authenticating a user, an authentication server generates a ticket including information associated with the user. The authentication server encrypts content of the ticket using a symmetric key shared with an affiliate server. The affiliate server has a public key that the authentication server uses to encrypt the shared key. The authentication server has private key for creating a signature on the ticket. The affiliate server decrypts the shared key with its private key and then decrypts the content of the ticket using the decrypted shared key. The affiliate server validates the signature with the authentication server'"'"'s public key.

Claims

1. A method of securing information in a multi-site authentication system, said method comprising:

generating an authentication ticket from a first network server, said ticket including information associated with a user of a client computer, said first network server and said client computer being coupled to a data communication network;

encrypting content of the ticket, by the first network server, using a shared symmetric key, said shared key being shared by the first network server and a second network server, said second network server also being coupled to the data communication network;

encrypting the shared key, by the first network server, using a public key associated with the second network server; and

directing the client computer along with the ticket from the first network server to the second network server.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

decrypting the encrypted shared key, by the second network server, using a private key associated with the second network server; and

decrypting the content of the ticket, by the second network server, using the decrypted shared key.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a signature for the ticket using a private key associated with the first network server.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the ticket includes the content encrypted by the shared key, the shared key, and the signature.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the signature includes address information for the second network server and further comprising identifying, by the second network server, its own address information in the signature to validate the signature.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the shared key comprises a randomly generated, single-use session key.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising transporting the ticket from the first network server to the second network server over a privacy-enhanced protocol.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first network server is an authentication server associated with the multi-site user authentication system and further comprising retrieving login information from the user for authenticating the user before generating the ticket.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the content of the ticket includes the retrieved login information.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the retrieved login information includes a login ID and a password associated with the login ID.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising, before authenticating the user, determining whether the user was already authenticated and, if the user was not already authenticated, then retrieving the login information from the user and authenticating the user with the authentication server by comparing the login information with authentication information stored in a database associated with the authentication server.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a request from the user via a browser of the client computer, said request being for a selected service to be provided by the second network server.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the second network server is a portal for providing the user with a gateway to services provided by one or more other network servers coupled to the data communication network.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the network servers are web servers and the data communication network is the Internet.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

16. A system of securing information comprising an authentication server associated with a multi-site user authentication system, said authentication server retrieving login information from a user of a client computer for authenticating the user, said authentication server further generating an authentication ticket after authenticating the user, said ticket including information associated with the user of the client computer, said authentication server having a shared symmetric key for encrypting content of the ticket, said shared key being shared by the authentication server and an affiliate server, said affiliate server having a public key and said authentication server using the public key to encrypt the shared key.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the affiliate server has a private key for decrypting the encrypted shared key, said affiliate server decrypting the content of the ticket using the decrypted shared key.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the authentication server has a private key for generating a signature for the ticket.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the ticket includes the content encrypted by the shared key, the shared key, and the signature.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the signature includes address information for the affiliate server, said affiliate server validating the signature by identifying its own address information in the signature.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein the shared key comprises a randomly generated, single-use session key.

22. The system of claim 16 further comprising a database associated with the authentication server, said database storing login information for comparison with the login information retrieved from the user.

23. The system of claim 16 further comprising a browser of the client computer, said affiliate server receiving a request from the user via the browser for a selected service to be provided by the affiliate server.

24. The system of claim 16 wherein the affiliate server is a portal for providing the user with a gateway to services provided by one or more network servers coupled to the data communication network.

25. The system of claim 16 wherein the affiliate server is a web server and the data communication network is the Internet.

26. A method of securing information in a multi-site authentication system, said method comprising:

generating an authentication ticket from a first network server, said ticket including information associated with a user of a client computer, said first network server and said client computer being coupled to a data communication network;

generating a signature for the ticket using a private key associated with the first network server, said signature including address information for a second network server, said second network server also being coupled to the data communication network;

directing the client computer along with the ticket from the first network server to the second network server over a privacy-enhanced protocol; and

identifying, by the second network server, its own address information in the signature to validate the signature.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the privacy-enhanced protocol is a secure socket layer protocol.

28. A security protocol for use in a multi-site authentication system comprising:

a shared symmetric key, said shared key being shared by a first network server and a second network server, said first network server encrypting content of an authentication ticket that includes information associated with a user of a client computer using the shared key, said first and second network servers and said client computer being coupled to a data communication network;

a public key associated with the second network server, said first network server encrypting the shared key using the public key; and

a private key associated with the second network server;

said second network server decrypting the encrypted shared key using the private key and decrypting the content of the ticket using the decrypted shared key.

29. The protocol of claim 28 further comprising a private key associated with the first network server, said first network server generating a signature for the ticket using its private key.

30. The protocol of claim 29 wherein the ticket includes the content encrypted by the shared key, the shared key, and the signature.

31. The protocol of claim 29 wherein the signature includes address information for the second network server and wherein the second network server validates the signature by identifying its own address information in the signature.

32. The protocol of claim 28 wherein the shared key comprises a randomly generated, single-use session key.