Peer-to-peer network

• US 8,683,551 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Pierer, Marcel, Hertle, Andreas, Tomsu, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU HA T
• Application Number:
  US12/264,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20090119747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,967 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/3, 726/4, 709/204, 709201-203, 709/219, 709224-226, 709/238
• US Class Current: 726/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/064 Hierarchical key distribution, e.g. by multi-tier trusted parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1093 Some peer nodes performing special functions

Abstract

In order to provide security within a peer-to-peer network (100) comprising common peers (0, 7, 10, 15, 20, 28) providing the functionality of the network (100), at least one police peer (4, 9, 23) is added to the network (100), said at least one police peer (4, 9, 23) providing security within the network (100) and being certified by a central certification authority (110) managing the certification and positioning of the peers (0, 4, 7, 9, 10, 15, 20, 23, 28).

Claims

1. A peer-to-peer network comprising:

common peers and at least one police peer in a structured overlay of the network, said at least one police peer providing security within the network by checking the functionality of possible malicious peers; and

a central certification authority for managing the certification of the peers in the structured overlay of the network;

wherein the central certification authority is further adapted for managing the positioning of the peers in the structured overlay of the network, and in that the peer-to-peer network is adapted to surround a possible malicious peer by a plurality of police peers.

2. The peer-to-peer network according to claim 1, wherein the peers communicate with the certification authority only during the joining process of a new peer.

3. The peer-to-peer network according to claim 1, wherein the certificate of said at least one police peer contains the common signature of a common peer and in addition a police signature.

4. The peer-to-peer network according to claim 1, wherein the police peers are interconnected in an additional overlay network.

5. A method for providing security in a peer-to-peer network comprising common peers, at least one police peer providing security within the network and a central certification authority managing the certification and positioning of the common peers and the at least one police peer in a structured overlay of the network,

comprising the following steps managed and/or performed by the at least one police peer:

(a) the functionality of a possible malicious peer is checked and the possible malicious peer is surrounded by a plurality of police peers;

(b) if the malignance of the malicious peer is affirmed, the certification authority declares the certificate of the malicious peer invalid and the malicious peer is asked to disconnect from the network;

(c) if the disconnection of the malicious peer in step fails, all other peers close their connections with the malicious peer;

wherein the at least one police peer resides in the structured overlay of the network.

6. A non-transitory computer program product implementing the method according to claim 5.