Message deciphering method, system and article

• US 7,925,010 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Sannino, Roberto Valerio, Sozzani, Fabio, Fragneto, Pasqualina, Bertoni, Guido Marco, Pelosi, Gerardo
• Primary Examiner(s): LaForgia; Christian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schmidt; Kari L
• Application Number:
  US11/016,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20050169464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 380/30, 380277-278, 380/44, 380/286, 713/150, 713/156, 713/171, 713/163, 726/29
• US Class Current: 380/30
• 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 9/3073 involving pairings, e.g. identity based encryption [IBE], bilinear mappings or bilinear pairings, e.g. Weil or Tate pairing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3213 using tickets or tokens, e.g. Kerberos network architectures or network communication protocols for entities authentication using tickets in a packet data network H04L63/0807

Abstract

A method decrypts the encrypted messages sent by a transmission device to a first electronic device associated with a first trusted authority and to a second electronic device. In one embodiment, first and second tokens are generated and exchanged, respectively, by the first and second electronic devices, which then generate a joint decryption key in order to decrypt the encrypted message.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

a) associating a single joint identity with first and second electronic devices which identifies a common entity that is formed by the first and the second electronic devices, the single joint identity identifying the common entity to a transmission device, the first electronic device being associated with a first trusted authority, and the second electronic device being associated with a second trusted authority;

b) executing, by the transmission device, a single encryption operation of a message in clear by using the single joint identity so as to encrypt said message and transmitting the encrypted message simultaneously to the first and the second electronic devices;

c) generating, by the first and the second electronic devices a first decryption token and a second decryption token, respectively, said first and second decryption tokens being obtained based on quantities provided by at least said first trusted authority, said quantities being calculated from random numbers, public keys, and master keys;

d) providing said first decryption token to the second electronic device and said second decryption token to the first electronic device; and

e) generating, by starting from said first and second decryption tokens, by the first and second electronic devices, a joint decryption key in order to decrypt the encrypted message,

wherein the second electronic device is not associated with said first trusted authority and the first electronic device is not associated with said second trusted authority, said second trusted authority being distinct and autonomous with respect to said first trusted authority.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said second trusted authority provides further of said quantities to the first and to the second electronic devices for said generating of said first and second decryption tokens.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein said c) includes:

providing to the first and to the second electronic devices, first and second of quantities for said generating of said first and second decryption tokens, respectively;

said first and second of said quantities being generated by the first trusted authority; and

providing to the second and first electronic devices, third and fourth of said quantities for said generating of said second and first decryption tokens, respectively, said third and fourth quantities being generated by the second trusted authority.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein first and second identities are associated with the first and the second electronic devices, respectively and further first and further second identities are associated with the first and the second trusted authorities;

the method additionally comprising;

generating a first and a second of said public keys, obtained by applying a first hash function to the first and the second identities.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein first and second identities are associated with the first and the second electronic devices, respectively and further first and further second identities are associated with the first and the second trusted authorities;

the method additionally comprising;

generating a first and a second of said public keys, obtained by applying a first hash function to the first and the second identities, wherein;

said first and said second quantities are calculated by the first trusted authority by starting from a first of said random numbers and from the first public key of the first electronic device and by starting from the first random number and from the second public key of the second electronic device, respectively; and

said third and said fourth quantities are calculated by starting from a second of said random numbers and from the second public key and by starting from the second random number and from the first public key, respectively.

6. The method according to claim 3 wherein first and second identities are associated with the first and the second electronic devices, respectively and further first and further second identities are associated with the first and the second trusted authorities;

the method additionally comprising;

generating a first and a second of said public keys, obtained by applying a first hash function to the first and the second identities, wherein;

said first and said second quantities are calculated by starting from a first of said master keys and from the first public key and by starting from the first master key and from the second public key, respectively; and

said third and said fourth quantities are calculated by starting from a second of said master keys and from the second public key and by starting from the second master key and from the first public key, respectively.

7. The method according to claim 3 wherein the generating the first decryption token by the first device includes applying a bilinear function to a sum of the first and the fourth quantities, and to a first point of an additive group.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the generating the second decryption token by the second device includes applying the bilinear function to a sum of the second and the third quantities, and to the first point of the additive group.

9. The method according to claim 2 wherein said e) includes applying, independently by each said electronic device, a second hash function to an internal product between the first and the second decryption tokens, in order to generate said joint decryption key.

10. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

associating with the common entity that includes the first and the second electronic devices, a joint public key corresponding to a sum of the second and the first public keys; and

associating, with said common entity, a joint private key defined as a product of said joint public key and a sum of the second and the first random numbers.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

associating with the common entity that includes the first and the second electronic devices, a joint public key corresponding to a sum of the second and the first public keys; and

associating, with said common entity, a joint private key defined as a product of said joint public key and a sum of the second and the first master keys.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein said b) includes, with relation to the transmission device:

acquiring a further first and a further second point from the first and the second trusted authorities, respectively, for generation of a joint public point;

generating the first point as a product of a further random number and a point and a string of bits in order to encrypt the message in clear; and

generating the encrypted message having the first point in a first part and a result of an XOR operation between bits between the message in clear and said string in a second part.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising restoring the message in clear by carrying out a further XOR operation between bits between the encrypted message and the joint decryption key, said joint decryption key being mathematically coincident with the string of bits.

14. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

sending of an encrypted message containing the first quantity and the second quantity, from the first trusted authority to the first and the second electronic devices, respectively; and

sending of an encrypted message containing the fourth quantity and the third quantity, from the second trusted authority to the first and the second electronic devices, respectively.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein said sending the first quantity from the first trusted authority to the first electronic device is carried out by encrypting such quantity in accordance with at least one of a symmetrical type cryptographic method or an identity-based encryption method.

16. The method according to claim 14 wherein said sending the second quantity from the first trusted authority to the second electronic device is carried out by encrypting such quantity in accordance with an identity-based encryption method.

17. The method according to claim 15, additionally comprising generating, by same said first trusted authority, an electronic signature by starting from said first quantity.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising sending a message comprising said first quantity and said electronic signature to the first electronic device by the first trusted authority, said message being encrypted in accordance with an identity-based encryption method.

19. The method according to claim 4, further comprising sending said first and said further first identities from the first electronic device to the second electronic device, and sending said second and said further second identities from the second electronic device to the first electronic device.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising sending an encrypted message containing said second and said further second identities to the first trusted authority by the first electronic device, said message being encrypted in accordance with at least one of a symmetrical type or an identity-based encryption method.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising sending an encrypted message containing the second and the further second identities and, optionally, the first identity to the first trusted authority from the first electronic device, said message having an electronic signature of the said identities generated by the first electronic device and being encrypted in accordance with an identity-based encryption method.

22. The method according to claim 1 wherein said d) includes:

sending the first decryption token from the first electronic device to the second electronic device in an encrypted manner;

sending the second decryption token from the second electronic device to the first electronic device in an encrypted manner.