Apparatus and methods for managing key material in heterogeneous cryptographic assets

• US 6,442,690 B1
• Filed: 10/21/1999
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hess, Pennington J., Howard, James L. Jr., MacStravic, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Gail
• Assistant Examiner(s): DI LORENZO, ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US09/422,292
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 380/273, 380/282, 713/155-157, 713/168, 713/173, 713/175, 713/189, 705/71
• US Class Current: 713/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• 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 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• 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: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/12 Details relating to cryptographic hardware or logic circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• 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 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for remotely rekeying a cryptographic device are disclosed. A method according to the invention includes associating a preliminary certificate with the device, generating a device certificate associated with the device, determining whether a certificate stored in the device is the preliminary certificate associated with the device, and if the certificate stored in the device is the preliminary certificate associated with the device, then securely loading the device certificate into the device. Apparatus for remotely rekeying a cryptographic device includes a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing a method according to the invention.

Claims

1. A method for remotely rekeying a cryptographic device, comprising:

associating a preliminary certificate with the device;

generating a device certificate associated with the device, wherein the device certificate has a public part and a private part;

determining whether a certificate stored in the device is the preliminary certificate associated with the device; and

if the certificate stored in the device is the preliminary certificate associated with the device, then securely loading the device certificate into the device by encrypting the private part of the device certificate using a first encryption algorithm, generating a first packet comprising the public part, the encrypted private part, and a set of decryption instructions for decrypting the encrypted private part, encrypting the first packet using a second encryption algorithm, generating a second packet comprising the encrypted first packet and a set of decryption instructions for decrypting the encrypted first packet, and delivering the second packet to the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the preliminary certificate with the device comprises associating the preliminary certificate with a device identifier that corresponds to the device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the certificate stored in the device is the preliminary certificate associated with the device comprises determining whether the certificate has been previously used as a preliminary certificate associated with another cryptographic device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

loading into the device the preliminary certificate associated with the device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein loading the preliminary certificate into the device comprises delivering the preliminary certificate to a certificate loader.

6. Apparatus for remotely rekeying a cryptographic device, comprising a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for:

associating a preliminary certificate with the device;

generating a device certificate associated with the device, wherein the device certificate has a public part and a private part;

determining whether a certificate stored in the device is the preliminary certificate associated with the device; and

if the certificate stored in the device is the preliminary certificate associated with the device, then securely loading the device certificate into the device by encrypting the private part of the device certificate using a first encryption algorithm generating a first packet comprising the public part, the encrypted private part, and a set of decryption instructions for decrypting the encrypted private part, encrypting the first packet using a second encryption algorithm, generating a second packet comprising the encrypted first packet and a set of decryption instructions for decrypting the encrypted first packet, and delivering the second packet to the device.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a preliminary certificate loader that receives the preliminary certificate from the computer readable medium, and delivers the preliminary certificate to the device.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the computer readable medium comprises computer-executable instructions for associating the preliminary certificate with a device identifier that corresponds to the device.

9. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the computer readable medium comprises computer-executable instructions for determining whether the certificate has been previously used as a preliminary certificate associated with another cryptographic device.