Method of enabling secure transfer of a package of information

• US 20080098227A1
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: IES Internet Express Scandinavia AB
• Original Assignee: IES Internet Express Scandinavia AB
• Inventors: Ekstrom, Goran
• Application Number:
  US12/000,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20080098227A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/171
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/083 involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of enabling secure transfer of a package of information in a digital communications network from a sender to a receiver. According to the method a package of information is encrypted and provided to the receiver. A third party is provided with an encryption key having such a format that it is unable to decrypt said package of information. The encryption key is, upon positive identification of the receiver, providable from said third party to the receiver, and enables, with the involvement of a supplementary encryption key of the receiver, decryption of the package of information.

Claims

1. A method of enabling secure transfer of a package of information in a digital communications network from a sender to a receiver, comprising the steps of:

encrypting said package of information;

providing said encrypted package of information to the receiver; and

providing to a third party a first encryption key having such a format that it is unable to decrypt said package of information, said encryption key, upon positive identification of the receiver, being providable from said third party to the receiver, and enabling, with the involvement of a supplementary second encryption key of the receiver, decryption of the package of information.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which said step of encrypting said package of information further comprises the steps of:

combining said first and second encryption keys for generating a combined encryption key; and

encrypting said package of information by means of said generated combined encryption key.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which said package of information is first encrypted by one of said first and second encryption keys, and then encrypted by the other one of said first and second encryption keys.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which said information is encrypted by a main encryption key, said main encryption key then being divided into said first encryption key which is provided to the receiver and said second encryption key which is provided to the third party.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the step of providing a first encryption key to the receiver is preceded by the step of encrypting said first encryption key with a public key of the receiver, wherein the receiver is able to decrypt said encrypted first encryption key with a private key.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the step of providing to a third party a first encryption key is preceded by the steps of:

encrypting said package of information with that first encryption key; and

encrypting that first encryption key, wherein said encrypted encryption key is decryptable by said supplementary second encryption key of the receiver so as to enable decryption of the package of information.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, in which said first encryption key is encrypted with a public key of the receiver, and in which said supplementary second encryption key is a private key of the receiver enabling decryption of said encrypted first encryption key.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which instructions are sent to the third party, said instructions defining under what conditions the first encryption key provided to the third party may be retrieved by the receiver of the package of information.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the first encryption key provided to the third party, upon instructions to the third party, is prevented from being provided to the receiver.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which said receiver is identified by means of a registered certificate.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the secure transfer of said package of information is only completely performed if the sender has been identified by the third party, such as by means of a registered certificate.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which a hash value derived from the contents of said package of information is stored by the third party, without storing the actual package of information, wherein the receiver will be able to detect if said package of information has been tampered with.

13. A method of enabling secure transfer of a package of information in a digital communications network from a sender to a receiver, comprising the steps of:

receiving from the sender of an encrypted package of information a first encryption key which, with the involvement of a supplementary second encryption key of the receiver, enables decryption of said package of information;

identifying the receiver of said package of information; and

providing said received first encryption key to the receiver upon positive identification of the same.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, in which the first encryption key received in the step of receiving an encryption key is an encrypted encryption key.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, in which said first encryption key is encrypted with a public key of the receiver, and in which said supplementary second encryption key is a private key of the receiver enabling decryption of said encrypted first encryption key.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, in which instructions are received from the sender, said instructions defining under what conditions the first encryption key received from the sender may be retrieved by the receiver of the package of information.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, in which the receiver is identified by means of a registered certificate.

18. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the step of identifying the sender, wherein the secure transfer of said package of information is only completely performed if the sender has been identified, such as by means of a registered certificate.

19. The method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising the step of storing a hash value derived from the contents of said package of information, without storing the actual package of information, wherein the receiver will be able to detect if said package of information has been tampered with.

20. A method of enabling secure transfer of a package of information in a digital communications network from a sender to a receiver, comprising the steps of:

obtaining said package of information, which is encrypted, from the sender;

being positively identified by a third party;

obtaining from said third party a first encryption key having such a format that it is unable to decrypt said package of information, said third party having obtained the first encryption key from the sender; and

decrypting said package of information by means of said obtained first encryption key with the involvement of a supplementary second encryption key.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, in which said step of decrypting said package of information further comprises the steps of:

combining said first and second encryption keys for generating a combined encryption key; and

decrypting said package of information by means of said generated combined encryption key.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20, in which said package of information is first decrypted by one of said first and second encryption keys, and then decrypted by the other one of said first and second encryption keys.

23. The method as claimed in claim 20, in which said first encryption key is encrypted with a public key of the receiver, wherein said step of decrypting said package of information is preceded by the step of decrypting said encrypted first encryption key with a private key.

24. The method as claimed in claim 20, in which the first encryption key obtained from the third party is encrypted, wherein the step of decrypting said package of information comprises the steps of:

decrypting the encrypted first encryption key obtained from the third party by means of said supplementary second encryption key; and

decrypting said package of information with the decrypted first encryption key.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, in which the first encryption key obtained from the third party is encrypted with a public key of the receiver, wherein said supplementary second encryption key is a private key of the receiver enabling decryption of the encrypted encryption key.

26. The method as claimed in claim 20, in which the step of being positively identified by a third party comprises identification by means of a registered certificate.

27. The method as claimed in claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining from the third party a first hash value which has been derived from the contents of said package of information by means of a hash function;

calculating by means of said hash function a second hash value of the obtained package of information; and

comparing said first hash value with said second hash value, in order to detect if said package of information has been tampered with.

28. A system for enabling secure transfer of a package of information in a digital communications network from a sender to a receiver, comprising:

means for encrypting said package of information;

means for providing said encrypted package of information to the receiver; and

means for providing to a third party a first encryption key having such a format that it is unable to decrypt said package of information, said encryption key, upon positive identification of the receiver, being providable from said third party to the receiver, and enabling, with the involvement of a supplementary second encryption key of the receiver, decryption of the package of information.

29. A computer readable medium for enabling secure transfer of a package of information in a digital communications network from a sender to a receiver, comprising means for performing the steps of:

encrypting said package of information;

providing said encrypted package of information to the receiver; and

providing to a third party a first encryption key having such a format that it is unable to decrypt said package of information, said encryption key, upon positive identification of the receiver, being providable from said third party to the receiver, and enabling, with the involvement of a supplementary second encryption key of the receiver, decryption of the package of information.

30. A digital communications network enabling secure transfer of a package of information, comprising:

a sender client configured to encrypt said package of information and generate a first encryption key having such a format that it is unable to decrypt said package of information;

a receiver client configured to obtain said encrypted package of information from the sender client; and

a third party server configured to receive said first encryption key from the sender client and configured to identify the receiver client, wherein, upon positive identification of the receiver client, the third party server provides said first encryption key to the receiver client, and

wherein, when the receiver client obtains said first encryption key from said third party server, the receiver client decrypts said package of information by means of said obtained first encryption key with the involvement of a supplementary second encryption key of the receiver client.