Encryption method using synchronized continuously calculated pseudo-random key

• US 7,248,699 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yochim, Blair
• Primary Examiner(s): REVAK, CHRISTOPHER A
• Application Number:
  US10/308,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 380/28, 380/42, 380/255, 713/150, 705/76
• US Class Current: 380/268
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• 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 9/12 Transmitting and receiving encryption devices synchronised or initially set up in a particular manner

Abstract

Prior methods of encryption can be broken by sufficiently powerful decryption techniques. The present invention provides a method of making decryption practically extremely difficult. It involves having synchronized processors continuously calculate a defined pseudo-random number and communicate the message by adding it to the sequentially continuously calculated number.

Claims

1. A method of securely communicating a digital message from a first processing device to a second processing device in accordance with a pseudo-random number whose digits are generated continuously and sequentially in real time by the second processing device such that the number of digits in the pseudo-random number generated by the second processing device increases with time, said method comprising:

generating continuously and sequentially in real time, by the first processing device, the digits of the pseudo-random number such that the number of digits in the pseudo-random number generated by the first processing device increases with time, said generating the digits of the pseudo-random number by the first processing device being synchronized with said generation of the digits of the pseudo-random number by the second processing device;

generating, by the first processing device, an encrypted message by calculating a function of the digital message and the sequentially generated digits of the pseudo-random number, said calculated function being the encrypted message; and

communicating, by the first processing device, the encrypted message to the second processing device, said encrypted message adapted to be decrypted by the second processing device to extract the digital message by calculation of the inverse of said function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises, after the first digit of the pseudo-random number has been generated by the first processing device:

continuously adding, by the first processing device, another digit to the currently existing sequence of digits in the pseudo-random number generated by the first processing device, through use of a first generating means that generates the another digit by utilizing the currently existing sequence of digits in the pseudo-random number.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the frequency of the number of digits in the pseudo-random number generated by the first processing device decreases with time while the pseudo-random number is being continuously generated by the first processing device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said communicating the encrypted message has an associated communication bandwidth, wherein said frequency exceeds said bandwidth when said communicating begins, and wherein there exists an elapse of time after said communicating begins such that said frequency is less than said bandwidth after said elapse of time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises compensating, by the first processing device, for said frequency exceeding said bandwidth by dropping digits from the pseudo-random number.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises compensating, by the first processing device, for said frequency being less than said bandwidth by adding extra digits to the currently existing sequence of digits in the pseudo-random number, wherein said adding extra digits comprises generating said extra digits through use of a second generating means that generates the extra digits by utilizing the currently existing sequence of digits in the pseudo-random number as a seed, and wherein the second generating means differs from the first generating means.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises adding, by the first processing device, an unencrypted timestamp to the beginning of the encrypted message, and wherein the unencrypted timestamp indicates the time of initiation of said calculating the function of the digital message and the sequentially generated digits of the pseudo-random number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises varying the calculational speed of the first processing device to implement said generating the digits of the pseudo-random number by the first processing device being synchronized with said generation of the digits of the pseudo-random number by the second processing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said varying the calculational speed of the first processing device comprises adjusting a hardware clock of the first processing device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said generating the digits of the pseudo-random number by the first processing device is performed in accordance with an algorithm, and wherein said varying the calculational speed of the first processing device comprises varying a number of idle states inserted in the algorithm.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said function comprises an addition of the digital message to the sequentially generated digits of the pseudo-random number generated by the first processing device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the pseudo-random number continuously generated by the first processing device is an irrational number.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the irrational number is a prime number.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the prime number is 2.

15. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer program code therein, said computer code adapted to perform the method of claim 1 when the computer code program is run on the first processing device.

16. A data processing system comprising a data processing device and a computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium having computer program code therein, said computer program code adapted to perform the method of claim 1 when the computer program code is run on the data processing device, said data processing device being the first processing device.

17. A method of securely receiving a digital message from a first processing device by a second processing device in accordance with a pseudo-random number whose digits are generated continuously and sequentially in real time by the first processing device such that the number of digits in the pseudo-random number generated by the first processing device increases with time, said method comprising:

generating continuously and sequentially in real time, by the second processing device, the digits of the pseudo-random number such that the number of digits in the pseudo-random number generated by the second processing device increases with time, said generating the digits of the pseudo-random number by the second processing device being synchronized with said generation of the digits of the pseudo-random number by the first processing device;

receiving, by the second processing device an encrypted message that had been generated by the first processing device, said encrypted message being a function of the digital message and the sequentially digits of the pseudo-random number generated by the first processing device; and

decrypting, by the first processing device, the encrypted message to extract the digital message, said decrypting comprising calculating the inverse of said function.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method comprises, after the first digit of the pseudo-random number has been generated by the second processing device:

continuously adding, by the second processing device, another digit to the currently existing sequence of digits in the pseudo-random number generated by the second processing device, through use of a first generating means that generates the another digit by utilizing the currently existing sequence of digits in the pseudo-random number.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the frequency of the number of digits in the pseudo-random number generated by the second processing device decreases with time while the pseudo-random number is being continuously generated by the second processing device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said encrypted message is received by the second processing device in accordance with a communication bandwidth, wherein said frequency exceeds said bandwidth when said receiving begins, and wherein there exists an elapse of time after said receiving begins such that said frequency is less than said bandwidth after said elapse of time.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises compensating, by the second processing device, for said frequency exceeding said bandwidth by dropping digits from the pseudo-random number.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises compensating, by the second processing device, for said frequency being less than said bandwidth by adding extra digits to the currently existing sequence of digits in the pseudo-random number, wherein said adding extra digits comprises generating said extra digits through use of a second generating means that generates the extra digits by utilizing the currently existing sequence of digits in the pseudo-random number as a seed, and wherein the second generating means differs from the first generating means.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein an unencrypted timestamp is disposed at the beginning of the encrypted message, and wherein the unencrypted timestamp indicates the time that the first processing device initiated generation of the encrypted message.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises varying the calculational speed of the second processing device to implement said generating the digits of the pseudo-random number by the second processing device being synchronized with said generation of the digits of the pseudo-random number by the first processing device.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said varying the calculational speed of the second processing device comprises adjusting a hardware clock of the second processing device.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said generating the digits of the pseudo-random number by the second processing device is performed in accordance with an algorithm, and wherein said varying the calculational speed of the second processing device comprises varying a number of idle states inserted in the algorithm.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein said function comprises an addition of the digital message to the sequentially generated digits of the pseudo-random number generated by the first processing device.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the pseudo-random number continuously generated by the second processing device is an irrational number.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the irrational number is a prime number.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the prime number is 2.

31. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer program code therein, said computer code adapted to perform the method of claim 17 when the computer code program is run on the second processing device.

32. A data processing system comprising a data processing device and a computer readable storage medium, said computer readable storage medium having computer program code therein, said computer program code adapted to perform the method of claim 17 when the computer program code is run on the data processing device, said data processing device being the second processing device.