Authentication method of ad hoc network and wireless communication terminal thereof

• US 20060133613A1
• Filed: 12/05/2005
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Manchu, Tetsuo, Fukuzawa, Yasuko, Ando, Eriko, Matsui, Susumu, Ishida, Shuichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,869,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/205 involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24
• 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: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

On ad hoc networks in which connection relationships among communication terminals constantly change, the processing load increases when authentication is performed each time a connection relationship changes. According to this invention, when communication terminals possess the same common key, mutual authentication is conducted with that common key, and when communication terminals do not possess the same common key, mutual authentication is conducted with a public key. Communication terminals that conducted mutual authentication exchange and retain a common key that they selected and common keys received from other communication terminals. When neither communication terminal possesses a common key at authentication, one terminal creates a common key and distributes it to the other terminal, and when one terminal has a common key it creates that common key and distributes it to the other terminal. Further, a common key possessed by a communication terminal corresponding to a relay node is broadcast periodically.

Claims

1. An authentication method of an ad hoc network that is configured by wireless communication terminals communicating with each other, wherein,

the wireless communication terminal has:

means that performs a first mutual authentication between wireless communication terminals;

means that performs a second mutual authentication between wireless communication terminals using a common key;

means that sends common key information relating to a common key for mutual authentication;

means that receives common key information relating to a common key for mutual authentication; and

means that stores a common key for mutual authentication;

and wherein, when a first wireless communication terminal and a second wireless communication terminal on the ad hoc network conduct mutual authentication, the authentication method comprises the steps of;

determining whether or not a common key that is commonly possessed by the first wireless communication terminal and the second wireless communication terminal exists;

conducting the first mutual authentication when a common key that is commonly possessed does not exist; and

conducting mutual authentication when a common key that is commonly possessed exists, by use of means that uses the common key to conduct the second mutual authentication between the wireless communication terminals with the common key.

2. The authentication method of an ad hoc network according to claim 1, wherein the first mutual authentication is conducted using a public key.

3. The authentication method of an ad hoc network according to claim 1, wherein the common key information includes a common key generated by the own terminal and a common key included in common key information received from another terminal.

4. The authentication method of an ad hoc network according to claim 1, wherein, when the first wireless communication terminal and the second wireless communication terminal conduct the first mutual authentication, they mutually exchange the common key information that they possess.

5. The authentication method of an ad hoc network according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication terminal periodically transmits common key information that the wireless communication terminal possesses.

6. The authentication method of an ad hoc network according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of determining whether or not a common key that is commonly possessed by the first wireless communication terminal and the second wireless communication terminal exists,

when a common key does not exist in either the first wireless communication terminal or the second wireless communication terminal, the first wireless communication terminal generates a common key and sends common key information including the common key to the second wireless communication terminal,

when a common key exists in the first wireless communication terminal and a common key does not exist in the second wireless communication terminal, the first wireless communication terminal sends common key information including the common key to the second wireless communication terminal, and

when a common key exists in the first wireless communication terminal and a common key also exists in the second wireless communication terminal, the first wireless communication terminal sends common key information including the common key that the first wireless communication terminal possesses to the second wireless communication terminal and the second wireless communication terminal sends common key information including the common key that the second wireless communication terminal possesses to the first wireless communication terminal.

7. A wireless communication terminal of an ad hoc network that is configured by wireless communication terminals communicating with each other, wherein the wireless communication terminal has:

means that performs a first mutual authentication between wireless communication terminals;

means that performs a second mutual authentication between wireless communication terminals using a common key;

means that sends a common key information message relating to a common key for mutual authentication;

means that receives a common key information message relating to a common key for mutual authentication;

means that stores a common key for mutual authentication; and

means that determines, when performing mutual authentication with another wireless communication terminal on the ad hoc network, whether or not a common key that is commonly possessed by the other wireless communication terminal exists;

wherein, when the means that determines whether or not a common key that is commonly possessed by the other wireless communication terminal exists determines that a commonly possessed common key does not exist, mutual authentication is conducted with the other wireless communication terminal by means that conducts the first mutual authentication between the wireless communication terminals,

and when the means that determines whether or not a common key that is commonly possessed by the other wireless communication terminal exists determines that a commonly possessed common key exists, mutual authentication is conducted by means that uses the common key to conduct the second mutual authentication between wireless communication terminals using the common key.

8. The wireless communication terminal of an ad hoc network according to claim 7, wherein the first mutual authentication is conducted using a public key.

9. The wireless communication terminal of an ad hoc network according to claim 7, wherein the common key information message includes a common key generated by the own terminal and a common key received from another terminal as a common key information list.

10. The wireless communication terminal of an ad hoc network according to claim 7, wherein the wireless communication terminal and another wireless communication terminal send and receive the common key information message to and from each other.

11. The wireless communication terminal of an ad hoc network according to claim 7, wherein the wireless communication terminal periodically broadcasts the common key information message.

12. The wireless communication terminal of an ad hoc network according to claim 7, wherein the wireless communication terminal stores a common key generated by its own terminal and a common key received from another terminal as information on common keys that may exist.