ACCESS METHOD AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR ACCESSING A PROTECTED COMMUNICATION SERVICE

• US 20140282953A1
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Technische Universitat Dortmund
• Original Assignee: Technische Universitat Dortmund
• Inventors: Wietfeld, Christian, Sbeiti, Mohamad, Subik, Sebastian, Wolff, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 9,374,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0836 using tree structure or hierarchical structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to an access method for accessing a protected communication service via a public communication network by means of a secure communication network, whereby the secure communication network is based on user groups, comprising the steps of defining an access group having access to the communication service based on the user groups of the secure communication network, generating a group key for all members of the access group, providing the group key to a member of the access group via the secure communication network, and accessing the communication service via the public communication network using the group key. The present invention further relates to a communication system comprising a secure communication network based on user groups, a public communication network, a protected communication service, and an access server for managing access rights to the communication service, whereby the communication system is adapted to execute the above method.

Claims

1. An access method for accessing a protected communication service via a public communication network by means of a secure communication network, whereby the secure communication network is based on user groups, comprising the steps of

defining an access group having access to the communication service based on the user groups of the secure communication network,

generating a group key for all members of the access group,

providing the group key to a member of the access group via the secure communication network, and

accessing the communication service via the public communication network using the group key.

2. The method according to claim 1,

further comprising:

the group key is provided to the member of the access group upon a user request via the secure communication network.

3. The method according to claim 1,

further comprising:

the group key is provided to the member of the access group by a push service.

4. The according to claim 1,

further comprising:

the step of accessing the communication service via the public communication network using the group key comprises establishing a secure connection over the public communication network.

5. The method according to claim 1,

further comprising:

the step of defining an access group having access to the communication service based on the user groups of the secure communication network comprises the step of adding a user group to the access group.

6. The method according to claim 5,

further comprising:

the user groups have a hierarchical structure and the step of adding a user group to the access group comprises adding the user group and all user sub-groups, which are hierarchically below the added user group.

7. A method according to claim 1,

further comprising:

the step of providing the group key to a member of the access group via the secure communication network comprises providing the group key to a first communication device for use in the secure communication network, and

the step of accessing the communication service via the public communication network using the group key comprises accessing the communication service from a second communication device for use in the public communication network,

comprising the step of

transferring the group key from the first communication device to the second communication device.

8. The method according to claim 7,

further comprising:

the step of transferring the group key from the first communication device to the second communication device comprises

displaying a visualization of the group key at the first communication device, and

recognizing the group key from the visualization at the second communication device.

9. The method according to claim 8,

further comprising:

the step of displaying a visualization of the group key at the first communication device comprises displaying a bar code representing the group key, and

recognizing the group key from the visualization at the second communication device comprises reading the bar code.

10. The method according to claim 1,

comprising the steps of

deleting the group key and generating a modified group key for the access group,

providing the modified group key to a member of the access group via the secure communication network, and

accessing the communication service via the public communication network using the modified group key.

11. The method according to claim 1,

further comprising:

the step of defining an access group having access to the communication service comprises providing a database within the communication service, and

the step of accessing the communication service comprises accessing the database.

12. The method according to claim 11,

further comprising:

the step of defining an access group having access to a communication service is performed at least twice for individual communication services, whereby at least one member of the access group for one communication service is also member of the access group for another communication service.

13. The method according to claim 1,

further comprising:

the communication service is connected to the secure communication network, and

the step of accessing the communication service via the public communication network comprises using the group key comprises establishing a communication to a member or a user group of the secure communication network.

14. The method according to claim 1,

further comprising:

the step of defining an access group having access to the communication service based on the user groups of the secure communication network comprises the step of mapping an already existing communication group of the secure communication network to the access group.

15. The method according to claim 14,

further comprising:

the step of mapping an already existing communication group of the secure communication network to the access group comprises performing a 1;

1, a n;

1 or a 1;

n mapping between already existing communication groups and access groups.

16. The communication system comprising

a secure communication network based on user groups,

a public communication network,

a protected communication service,

an access server for managing access rights to the communication service,

whereby the communication system is adapted to execute the method of claim 1.