Cryptographic system and methods using a one way multidimensional function

• US 20060088164A1
• Filed: 10/04/2005
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Rahimi, Ali, Recht, Benjamin H., Gershenfeld, Neil A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A cryptographic method and systems using a keyed one-way function. A sending device uses the keyed one-way function to authenticate one or more receiving devices prerequisite to communication.

Claims

1. A cryptographic method comprising:

forming a multidimensional vector;

providing the multidimensional vector to a receiver;

computing a keyed one-way function using the multidimensional vector and a private key;

receiving a response from the receiver; and

comparing the received response to the computed one-way function.

2. The cryptographic method of claim 1, wherein the forming comprises randomly selecting the corners of a multidimensional hypercube.

3. The cryptographic method of claim 2, further comprising generating a multidimensional hypercube.

4. The cryptographic method of claim 3, wherein the generating is based on a physical source of randomness.

5. The cryptographic method of claim 1, further comprising prepositioning the private key at the receiver.

6. The cryptographic method of claim 1, wherein the keyed one-way function comprises a sine function.

7. The cryptographic method of claim 6, wherein the keyed one-way function comprises a sawtooth function.

8. The cryptographic method of claim 1, further comprising allowing communication between the sender and receiver if the received response matches the computed one-way function.

12. The cryptographic system of claim 11, wherein the transmitting device is further configured to generate a multidimensional hypercube.

13. The cryptographic system of claim 12, wherein the multidimensional hypercube is generated based on a physical source of randomness.

9. A cryptographic system comprising:

a sending device comprising

a vector generator configured to form a multidimensional vector;

a communication module that provides the multidimensional vector to a receiver and that receives a response from a receiver;

a keyed one-way function generator coupled to the vector generator and the communication module, and the keyed one-way function generator configured to compute a keyed one-way function using the multidimensional vector and a private key; and

a comparator coupled to the communication module and the keyed one-way function generator, and the comparator configured to determine if the received response matches the computed one-way function.

10. The cryptographic system of claim 9, further comprising:

a receiving device comprising the communication module, wherein the communication module is configured to receive a multidimensional vector from the transmitting device and to send the computed response to the transmitting device; and

a response generator and the keyed one-way function generator, each of which is coupled to the communication module and configured to compute a response using the keyed one-way function and the multidimensional vector and the private key.

11. The cryptographic system of claim 10, wherein the multidimensional vector comprises random corners of a multidimensional hypercube.

14. The cryptographic system of claim 9, wherein the private key is prepositioned at the sending device and the receiving device.

15. The cryptographic system of claim 9, wherein the keyed one-way function comprises a sine function.

16. The cryptographic system of claim 15, wherein the keyed one-way function comprises a sawtooth function.

17. A computer readable medium upon which is embodied a sequence of programmable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

form a multidimensional vector;

provide the multidimensional vector to a receiver;

compute a keyed one-way function using the multidimensional vector and a private key;

receive a response from the receiver;

compare the received response to the computed one-way function.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein forming a multidimensional vector comprises randomly selecting the corners of a multidimensional hypercube.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to generate a multidimensional hypercube.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the hypercube is generated based on a physical source of randomness.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the keyed one-way function comprises a sine function.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the keyed one-way function comprises a sawtooth function.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to allow communication between the sender and receiver if the received response matches the computed one-way function.