System and method of securely distributing keys for peer-to-peer usage

• US 20070143612A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Little, Herbert, Brown, Michael, MacFarlane, David
• Application Number:
  US11/304,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143612A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/171
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]

Abstract

A system and method for generating keys that can be used for encrypting and decrypting PIN messages transmitted between mobile devices. In one embodiment, the method comprises defining a function f, where f(x,y)=f(y,x), and for each of first and second mobile devices, evaluating f with one of x and y having the value of the PIN of the respective mobile device. Each one of the first and second mobile devices can then compute a shared messaging key by evaluating f with the other of x and y having the value of the PIN of the other mobile device. The shared key can then be used specifically to encrypt and decrypt PIN messages transmitted between those two mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method of securely distributing keys to a plurality of mobile devices, wherein each of the plurality of mobile devices has a PIN associated therewith, the method comprising the steps of:

a) defining a security parameter d associated with the plurality of mobile devices;

b) defining a function f of at most degree d associated with the plurality of mobile devices, the function f comprising a first variable x and a second variable y, wherein f(x,y)=f(y,x) over a finite field F_q of order q;

c) for a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, evaluating f with one of x and y having the value of the PIN thereof to compute a first device-specific function f₁; and

d) for a second mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, evaluating f with one of x and y having the value of the PIN thereof to compute a second device-specific function f₂;

wherein, in operation, at least one message is encrypted, using a shared key computed at the first mobile device by evaluating f₁ with the other of x and y having the value of the PIN of the second mobile device, and is transmitted from the first mobile device to the second mobile device, the at least one message capable of being decrypted using a shared key computable at the second device by evaluating f₂ with the other of x and y having the value of the PIN of the first mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein f is a bi-variate function.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein f is a polynomial function.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein f is expressible in the following form:

$f<br><br>\left(x,y\right)=\underset{i=0}{\overset{d}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\underset{j=0}{\overset{d}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>a_{i,j}·<br><br>x^i·<br><br>y^j$

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at steps c) and d), f₁ and f₂ are computed remotely from the first and second mobile devices respectively, and wherein the method further comprises the step of transmitting f₁ and f₂ to the first and second mobile devices for further evaluation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at steps c) and d), f₁and f₂ are computed at the first and second mobile devices respectively.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

e) for each remaining mobile device k of the plurality of mobile devices, evaluating f with one of x and y having the value of the PIN thereof to compute a respective device-specific function f_k associated therewith.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at step e), each respective device-specific function f_k is computed remotely from the respective mobile device, and wherein the method further comprises the step of transmitting f_k to the respective mobile device for further evaluation.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein at step e), each respective device-specific function f_k is computed at the kth mobile device.

10. A software application comprising a plurality of instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, the instructions for a method of securely distributing keys to a plurality of mobile devices as claimed in claim 1.

11. A system for securely distributing keys to a plurality of mobile devices comprising:

a plurality of mobile devices comprising at least first and second mobile devices, each of the plurality of mobile devices having a PIN associated therewith;

wherein at least the first and second mobile devices are communicatively coupled such that a message can be transmitted at least from the first mobile device to the second mobile device;

wherein a security parameter d associated with the plurality of mobile devices and a function f of at most degree d associated with the plurality of mobile devices are defined, the function f comprising a first variable x and a second variable y, wherein f(x,y)=f(y,x) over a finite field F_q of order q;

wherein for a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, f is evaluated with one of x and y having the value of the PIN thereof to compute a first device-specific function f₁; and

wherein for a second mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, f is evaluated with one of x and y having the value of the PIN thereof to compute a second device-specific function f₂;

wherein the first mobile device is adapted to encrypt at least one message using a shared key computed at the first mobile device by evaluating f₁ with the other of x and y having the value of the PIN of the second mobile device, and to transmit the at least one message from the first mobile device to the second mobile device; and

wherein the second mobile device is adapted to receive the at least one message and decrypt the at least one message using a shared key computable at the second device by evaluating f₂ with the other of x and y having the value of the PIN of the first mobile device.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a computing device remote from the first and second mobile devices, the computing device is adapted to compute f₁ and f₂ and transmit f₁ and f₂ to the first and second mobile devices for further evaluation.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first and second mobile devices are further adapted to compute f₁ and f₂ respectively.