Method for generating secure symmetric encryption and decryption

• US 6,367,010 B1
• Filed: 07/02/1999
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PostX Corporation (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sahasrabuddhe, Unmesh, Viswanath, Ravi, Venkatram, Rajamadam C., Warty, Ashish, Khandkar, Rahul
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Gail
• Assistant Examiner(s): DARROW, JUSTIN T
• Application Number:
  US09/347,621
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 713/164, 713/165, 713/170, 713/171, 713/182, 713/202, 380/262, 380/281
• US Class Current: 713/171
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for generating secure symmetric encryption/decryption via the Internet. The present method provides for a more advanced and sophisticated manner of preventing hackers from accessing sensitive and private information. Information is encrypted and decrypted using unique keys in combination with the recipient'"'"'s PIN numbers. Each unique key corresponds to one recipient and is locally stored on the recipient'"'"'s computer device. Thus, in order to decrypt information using the present invention, the recipient is required to provide the correct password while using the computer device that includes the unique key.

Claims

1. A method for encrypting electronic data transmitted by a sender server to a recipient device, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a key for storing on the sender server;

transmitting a copy of the key to the recipient device, wherein the copy of the key is unique to and permanently installed on the recipient device;

encrypting electronic data from the sender server using the key; and

transmitting the encrypted electronic data from the sender server to the recipient device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the key comprises a key-PIN and a key-Salt.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the key-PIN and the key-Salt are generated using different seeds.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the key-PIN and the key-Salt are generated using a security algorithm.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein the key-PIN and the key-Salt each comprise at least 256 bits.

6. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of generating the key using a security algorithm.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the key is unique to each recipient.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the key is transmitted to the recipient device with a plug-in.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic data comprises an e-mail.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the electronic data comprises an e-mail attachment.

11. A method for encrypting an electronic document and a key corresponding to the electronic document such that an encrypted electronic document and an encrypted key are simultaneously transmitted to a recipient device, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) generating the encrypted electronic document by inputting an algorithm object, the key, and electronic document data into an encryption process; and

(2) generating the encrypted key by inputting the algorithm object, a salt, and key data into the encryption process, thereby encrypting both the electronic document and the key corresponding to the electronic document.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the electronic document comprises an e-mail.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the electronic document comprises an e-mail attachment.

14. A method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of generating the algorithm object by inputting a password having a key identification number and a user identification number into a security algorithm.

15. A method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of generating the salt by inputting electronic document identification data and a key-Salt into a security algorithm.

16. A method for decrypting an encrypted electronic document and an encrypted key transmitted simultaneously from a sender server to a recipient device, the method comprising the steps of:

separating the encrypted electronic document and encrypted key on the recipient device;

inputting a user identification number having between 4 to 20 characters on the recipient device so that a unique password stored on the recipient device is called up, wherein the unique password includes at least 256 bits;

using the unique password so that the encrypted key becomes a decrypted key; and

using the decrypted key to decrypt the encrypted electronic document.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the electronic document comprises an e-mail.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the electronic document comprises an e-mail attachment.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the unique password comprises a Key-PIN and a Key-Salt, and wherein using the unique password includes using the Key-PIN and the Key-Salt so that the encrypted key becomes a decrypted key.