SECURE MESSAGE TRANSMISSION USING DYNAMIC SEGMENTATION AND ENCRYPTION

• US 20170005992A1
• Filed: 03/09/2016
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vadium Technology, Inc. (VTIAC Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Vadium Technology, Inc. (VTIAC Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Koisch, John, Cowals, Dawson, Nicholls, Rod, Ari, Zsolt, Yakamovich, William
• Application Number:
  US15/065,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20170005992A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/045 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0656 Pseudorandom key sequence combined element-for-element with data sequence, e.g. one-time-pad [OTP] or Vernam's cipher
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media for securely sending a digital message from a sending device (1) to a recipient device (3) over an open network (4) such as the Internet. In a method embodiment of the present invention, a system controller (5) instructs the sending device (1) to segment the message into a finite number of segments having variable lengths; and assigns a variable number of relay (2) hops to each segment. The segments then flow from the sending device (1) to the recipient device (3) via several layers of conventional network relays (2). At least some of the segments are encrypted, by the sending device (1) and/or by one or more autonomous agent modules (30) operating on the relays (2). This invention makes it virtually impossible to track what is happening at the relays (2), or to identify the intended recipient (3). This virtually eliminates network traffic analysis as a viable means of compromising the security of the communications.

Claims

1. A method for securely sending a digital message from a sending device to a receiving device over an open network, said method comprising a system controller performing the steps of:

instructing the sending device to segment the message into a finite number of segments having variable lengths; and

assigning a variable number of relay hops to each segment;

wherein

the segments flow from the sending device to the receiving device via several layers of conventional network relays; and

at least some of the segments are encrypted.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the segments are encrypted at some combination of the sending device and at least one relay.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein encryption at a relay is performed by an autonomous agent module as instructed by the system controller.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the relationship between the number of relays and the number of agents is other than one-to-one.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the system controller instructs a messaging module within the sending device via a dynamically changeable script.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending device duplicates the segments before sending them over the open network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the encryption is performed by at least one of one-time-pad encryption, symmetric encryption, and asymmetric encryption.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the message comprises an encryption key.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the sending device applies a hash algorithm to at least one of the message and at least some of the segments prior to sending the segments over the open network.