Authentication system

• US 5,761,309 A
• Filed: 04/26/1996
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KDDI Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kokusai Denshi Denwa Company Limited (KDDI Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Toshinori, Ohashi, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Application Number:
  US08/619,518
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 380/25, 380/4, 380/23
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0897 involving additional devices, e.g. trusted platform module [TPM], smartcard or USB
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3273 for mutual authentication network architectures or network communication protocols for achieving mutual authentication in a packet data network H04L63/0869

Abstract

An authentication system whereby authentication load can be distributed in the network without sharing secret information of users is provided.

The system has a single master authentication center arranged in the network, the master authentication center sharing with the user a user secret key, and a plurality of slave authentication centers sharing with the master authentication center respective secret keys different from the user secret key. The master authentication center authenticates the user by using the user secret key and issues a certificate information which certifies legitimation of the user, to the user if the user is authenticated as a legitimate user. The slave authentication center authenticates the certificate information from the user and issues a permission information which allows an access to a specified server or an application server in the network, to the user if the user is authenticated as a legitimate user.

Claims

1. An authentication system adopting an authentication scheme for verifying a user from a network, by sharing the same secret key between the user and the network, encrypting a known information using said secret key at the user to produce first encrypted information, transmitting the first encrypted information from the user to the network, encrypting the known information using said secret key at the network to produce second encrypted information, and collating the transmitted first encrypted information with the produced second encrypted information at the network,

said system comprising a single master authentication center arranged in the network, said master authentication center sharing with the user a user secret key, and a plurality of slave authentication centers sharing with said master authentication center respective secret keys different from the user secret key,

said master authentication center authenticating the user by using said user secret key and issuing a certificate information to the user if the user is authenticated as a legitimate user, said certificate information certifying legitmation of the user, said slave authentication center authenticating the certificate information from the user and issuing a permission information which allows an access to a specified server or an application server in the network, to the user if the user is authenticated as a legitimate user,

wherein said user has an IC card provided with a CPU, and wherein the IC card executes management of said user secret key and encryption and decryption of the information.

2. The authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said system adopts a mutual authentication scheme for further verifying the network from the user, by encrypting a known information using said secret key at the network to produce third encrypted information, transmitting the third encrypted information from the network to the user, encrypting the known information using said secret key at the user to produce fourth encrypted information, and collating the transmitted third encrypted information with the produced fourth encrypted information at the user.

3. The authentication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said secret key used for encrypting the known information is one using a random number generated at the user.

4. An authentication system adopting an authentication scheme for verifying a user from a network, by sharing the same secret key between the user and the network, encrypting a known information using said secret key at the user to produce first encrypted information, transmitting the first encrypted information from the user to the network, encrypting the known information using said secret key at the network to produce second encrypted information, and collating the transmitted first encrypted information with the produced second encrypted information at the network,

said network issuing a certificate information to the user if the user is authenticated as a legitimate user, said certificate information certifying legitimation of the user and being valid within a predetermined period or predetermined times,

wherein said user has an IC card provided with a CPU, and wherein the IC card executes management of said user secret key, management of the certificate information issued at the network, and encryption and decryption of the information.

5. The authentication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said system adopts a mutual authentication scheme for further verifying the network from the user, by encrypting a known information using said secret key at the network to produce third encrypted information, transmitting the third encrypted information from the network to the user, encrypting the known information using said secret key at the user to produce fourth encrypted information, and collating the transmitted third encrypted information with the produced fourth encrypted information at the user.