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System and method for processing a shared secret

  • US 8,718,283 B2
  • Filed: 04/18/2002
  • Issued: 05/06/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. In a network comprising a number of computing devices, each arranged to securely store at least one share in a secret k for which n shares are required to reconstruct the secret and to which access to a number m of said shares can be reliably provided at any given time, a method of constructing shares in a secret comprising:

  • determining n shares for an n-of-n secret sharing scheme, each share comprising a value y;

    storing at least some of said shares in said computing devices such that at least m of said n shares are reliably accessible, wherein m is less than n; and

    determining the shared secret k including;

    determining that (n-m) shares of said n shares will be unreliably accessible;

    generating (n-m) public shares consistent with the shared secret k and the shares value y, wherein each of the (n-m) public shares represents one of the unreliably accessible shares;

    storing the (n-m) public shares in a reliably accessible location; and

    combining any set of m of said n shares with said (n-m) public shares to regenerate the secret k.

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