Confidential communication method

• US 8,370,627 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Yamanashi
• Original Assignee: University of Yamanashi
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Haruaki, Mino, Hidetoshi, Watanabe, Yoshimichi
• Primary Examiner(s): LANIER, BENJAMIN E
• Application Number:
  US12/733,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20100281257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 713160-163
• US Class Current: 713/162
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/463 Electronic voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• 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 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3257 using blind signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to solve a problem included in the onion routing which is used as a confidential communication method, that if a system down occurs in a computer within a communication route, connection is not made to further components at all, or a problem that the system and the traffic become slow by using multiplexed encryption. It is a communication method in which a client of an information providing source encrypts random numbers and calculates its hash value using respective public keys of an information server to which it connects, a function server of a destination to be sent, and an information server to which the function server connects, respective servers decrypt the encrypted random number using their own secret keys to compare the random number with the hash value, and thus, the client determines whether or not the route is related to the client. In such a way, information can be provided as an information providing source and an information provided destination are hidden, and as a response to provided contents from the function server which is the information provided source can also be kept anonymous.

Claims

1. In a confidential communication method of messages transmitted and received between a transmission source client that is a subordinate of one communication server of a plurality of communication servers, and a transmission destination client that is a subordinate of another communication server of the plurality of communication servers, wherein the transmission source client and the transmission destination client are connected to a loop network which forwards a message on a basis of a predetermined rule, and in the confidential communication method of the messages,

the transmission source client

creates first confidential address information including a hash value of a generated random bit string, and a code string obtained by encrypting the random bit string using a public key of the transmission destination client, and second confidential address information including a code string obtained by encrypting the random bit string using a public key of the another communication server to which the transmission destination client connects, and the hash value, and

forwards a message including at least the first confidential address information, the second confidential address information, and a message body, to the loop network via the one communication server.

2. The confidential communication method of the messages according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission source client further

creates third confidential address information including a code string obtained by encrypting the random bit string using a public key of the transmission source client, and said hash value, and fourth confidential address information including a code string obtained by encrypting the random bit string using the public key of the another communication server to which the transmission destination client connects, and said hash value, and

transmits the third confidential address information and the fourth confidential address information while including the third confidential address information and the fourth confidential address information in the message addressed to the transmission destination client.

3. The confidential communication method of the messages according to claim 1, wherein

the another communication server to which the transmission destination client connects

decodes the second confidential address information in the message forwarded via the loop network using a secret key corresponding to the public key of the another communication server to which the transmission destination client connects, and transmits the second confidential address information in the message to one or a plurality of clients that are subordinates of the another communication server to which the transmission destination client connects if said hash values thereof are matched with each other, and

a client in the one or the plurality of clients that are the subordinates of the another communication server that has received the message decodes the first confidential address information in the message using a secret key of the client that has received the message, and receives the message as the message is addressed to the client that has received the message if said hash values thereof are matched with each other.

4. The confidential communication method of the messages according to claim 3, wherein

a message body of the message transmitted from the transmission source client is an encrypted transmission sentence including a password encrypted using the public key of the transmission destination client, and

the transmission destination client decrypts the encrypted transmission sentence using a secret key of the transmission destination client.

5. The confidential communication method of the messages according to claim 2, wherein the transmission destination client that has received the message transmitted from the transmission source client, as a return message of the received message,

forwards a return message including at least the third confidential address information, the fourth confidential address information, and a return message body, to the loop network via the another communication server to which the transmission destination client connects.

6. The confidential communication method of the messages according to claim 5, wherein

the one communication server to which the transmission source client connects decodes the fourth confidential address information in the return message forwarded via the loop network using a secret key corresponding to a public key of the one communication server, and transfers the return message to one or a plurality of clients that are subordinates of the one communication server if the hash values thereof are matched with each other, and

a client of the one or the plurality of clients that are the subordinates of the one communication server that has received the return message decodes the third confidential address information in the return message using a secret key of the client that has received the return message, and receives the return message as the return message is addressed to the client that has received the return message if said hash values thereof are matched with each other.

7. The confidential communication method of the messages according to claim 6, wherein

a message body of the return message transmitted from the transmission destination client is an encrypted transmission sentence including a password encrypted using the public key of the transmission source client, and

the transmission source client decrypts the encrypted transmission sentence using a secret key of the transmission source client.

8. The confidential communication method of the messages according to claim 1, wherein, if a failure occurs in any of the plurality of communication servers, other predetermined communication server functions as the any of the plurality of communication servers in which the failure has occurred.

9. The confidential communication method of the messages according to claim 8, wherein, if a forwarded message is matched with a message already held, each of the plurality of communication servers determines that the forwarded message has taken around the loop network, and stops transferring of the forwarded message.

10. The confidential communication method of the messages according to claim 8, wherein, when transferring a received message to clients that are subordinates of each of the plurality of communication servers, each of the plurality of communication servers deletes the received message held in the each of the plurality of communication servers.

11. The confidential communication method of the messages according to claim 9, wherein transmission and reception of the messages between each of the plurality of communication servers and the clients that are the subordinates thereof is broadcast communication or on-demand communication.