System, method and program product for anonymous transfer of messages

• US 7,564,977 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seliger, Frank, Marino, Anna, Van Acker, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser G
• Assistant Examiner(s): YALEW, FIKREMARIAM A
• Application Number:
  US11/065,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20050190924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 380/286
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/42 Anonymization, e.g. involving pseudonyms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/463 Electronic voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/064 Hierarchical key distribution, e.g. by multi-tier trusted parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0827 involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18

Abstract

A final agent of the message provides a first encryption key to a first agent, interposed between a message sender and the final agent. The first agent but not the final agent knows an identity of the sender. The final agent provides a second encryption key to a second agent, interposed between the sender and the final agent. The second agent knows an identity of the sender. The first agent generates a third encryption key and provides the first encryption key and the third encryption key to the sender. The second agent generates a fourth encryption key and provides the second encryption key and the fourth encryption key to the sender. The first agent receives from the sender a message encrypted with the first, second, third and fourth keys, and in response, decrypts the message based on the third key. Afterwards, the first agent provides the message decrypted based on the third key to the second agent. In response, the second agent decrypts, based on the fourth key, the message provided by the first agent. The message decrypted based on the third and fourth keys is provided to the final agent. In response, the final agent decrypts, based on the first and second keys, the message decrypted based on the third and fourth keys.

Claims

1. A method for providing confidentiality of a combination of content of a message and a sender of the message, said method comprising the steps of:

a final agent computer providing to a first agent computer, interposed between said sender and said final agent computer, a first encryption key, said first agent computer but not said final agent computer knowing an identity of said sender;

said final agent computer providing to a second agent computer, interposed between said sender and said final agent computer, a second encryption key, said second agent computer knowing an identity of said sender;

said first agent computer generating a third encryption key and providing to said sender said first encryption key and said third encryption key;

said second agent computer generating a fourth encryption key and providing to said sender said second encryption key and said fourth encryption key;

said first agent computer receiving from said sender a message encrypted with said first, second, third and fourth keys, and in response, decrypting said message based on said third key, and afterwards providing the message decrypted based on said third key to said second agent computer, and in response, said second agent computer decrypting, based on said fourth key, said message provided by said first agent computer; and

providing the message decrypted based on said third and fourth keys to said final agent computer, and in response, said final agent computer decrypting, based on said first and second keys, said message decrypted based on said third and fourth keys.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein:

the step of said final agent computer providing said first encryption key to said first agent computer is performed by said final agent computer providing said first encryption key to a third agent computer interposed between said first agent computer and said final agent computer, and said third agent computer providing said first encryption key to said first agent computer or another agent computer interposed between said third agent computer and said first agent computer; and

the step of said final agent computer providing said second encryption key to said second agent computer is performed by said final agent computer providing said second encryption key to a fourth agent computer interposed between said second agent computer and said final agent computer, and said fourth agent computer providing said second encryption key to said second agent computer or another agent computer interposed between said fourth agent computer and said second agent computer.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

said final agent computer providing to said first agent computer a first index for said first key; and

said final agent computer providing to said second agent computer a second index for said second key.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein:

the step of said first agent computer providing to said second agent computer the message decrypted based on said third key includes the step of said first agent computer supplying to said second agent computer said first index with the message decrypted based on said third key; and

the step of providing the message decrypted based on said third and fourth keys to said final agent computer includes the step of said second agent computer supplying to said final agent computer said second index with the message decrypted based on said third and fourth keys.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said third and fourth encryption keys are not known by said final agent computer.

6. A distributed computer system for providing confidentiality of a combination of content of a message and a sender of the message, said system comprising:

a first agent computer including a first CPU, a first memory and a first storage;

a second agent computer including a second CPU, a second memory and a second storage;

a final agent computer including a third CPU, a third memory and a third storage, said first agent computer interposed between said sender and said final agent computer, said second agent computer interposed between said sender and said final agent computer;

program instructions, stored in said third storage of said final agent computer for execution by said third CPU via said third memory, to provide a first encryption key to said first agent computer and a second encryption key to said second agent computer, said first agent computer and said second agent computer knowing and identity of said sender, said final agent computer not knowing an identity of said sender;

program instructions, stored in said first storage of said first agent computer for execution by said first CPU via said first memory, to generate a third encryption key and provide to said sender said first encryption key and said third encryption key;

program instructions, stored in said second storage of said second agent computer for execution by said second CPU via said second memory, to generate a fourth encryption key and provide to said sender said second encryption key and said fourth encryption key;

program instructions, stored in said first storage of said first agent computer for execution by said first CPU via said first memory, to receive from said sender a message encrypted with said first, second, third and fourth keys, and in response, decrypt said message based on said third key;

program instructions, stored in said second storage of said second agent computer for execution by said second CPU via said second memory, to receive from said first agent computer the message decrypted based on said third key and decrypt, based on said fourth key, said message received from said first agent computer; and

program instructions, stored in said third storage of said final agent computer for execution by said third CPU via said third memory, to receive from said second agent computer the message decrypted based on said third and fourth keys and decrypt, based on said first and second keys, said message received from said second agent computer.

7. A system as set forth in claim 6 further comprising:

program instructions, stored in said third storage of said final agent computer for execution by said third CPU via said third memory, to provide said first encryption key to said first agent computer via a third agent computer interposed between said first agent computer and said final agent computer; and

,

program instructions, stored in said third storage of said final agent computer for execution by said third CPU via said third memory to provide said second encryption key to said second agent computer via a fourth agent computer interposed between said second agent computer and said final agent computer.

8. A system as set forth in claim 6 further comprising:

program instructions, stored in said first storage of said first agent computer for execution by said first CPU via said first memory, to provide to said second agent computer a first index for said first key; and

program instructions, stored in said second storage of said second agent computer for execution by said second CPU via said second memory, to provide to said final agent computer a second index for said second key.

9. A system as set forth in claim 8 further comprising:

program instructions, stored in said first storage of said first agent computer for execution by said first CPU via said first memory, to provide to said second agent computer the message decrypted based on said third key by said first agent computer supplying to said second agent computer said first index with the message decrypted based on said third key; and

program instructions, stored in said second storage of said second agent computer for execution by said second CPU via said second memory, to supply to said final agent computer said second index with the message decrypted based on said third and fourth keys.

10. A computer system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said third and fourth encryption keys are not known by said final agent computer.

11. A computer program product for providing confidentiality of a combination of content of a message and a sender of the message, said computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media;

first program instructions, for execution within a final agent computer, to provide to a first agent computer, interposed between said sender and said final agent computer, a first encryption key, said first agent computer but not said final agent computer knowing an identity of said sender;

second program instructions, for execution within said final agent computer, to provide to a second agent computer, interposed between said sender and said final agent computer, a second encryption key, said second agent computer knowing an identity of said sender;

third program instructions, for execution within said first agent computer, to generate a third encryption key and provide to said sender said first encryption key and said third encryption key;

fourth program instructions, for execution within said second agent computer, to generate a fourth encryption key and provide to said sender said second encryption key and said fourth encryption key;

fifth program instructions, for execution within said first agent computer, to receive from said sender a message encrypted with said first, second, third and fourth keys, and in response, decrypt said message based on said third key;

sixth program instructions, for execution within said second agent computer, to receive from said first agent computer said message decrypted based on said third key and decrypt, based on said fourth key, said message received from said first agent computer; and

seventh program instructions, for execution within said final agent computer, to receive from said second agent computer said message decrypted based on said third and fourth keys and decrypt, based on said first and second keys, said message received from said second agent computer; and

wherein

said first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh program instructions are stored on said computer readable storage media.

12. A computer program product as set forth in claim 11 wherein said third and fourth encryption keys are not known by said final agent computer.