Recipient blind cryptographic access control for publicly hosted message and data streams

• US 9,059,840 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: O'Rourke, David M., Patenaude, Matthew M., Connelly, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zecher, Dede
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIANG, JASON
• Application Number:
  US13/485,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20130326220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/045 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

Private message system, method, and apparatus are described. A private message that includes encrypted data and identifying information indicating a recipient client device authorized to read the private message is stored at a server computer. Since the client devices perform all encryption and decryption processing, the server computer stores the private message in a platform agnostic manner and without performing any encryption/decryption related processes. Although any number of recipient devices can receive the private message, only a recipient client device authorized in accordance with the identifying information can read the private message.

Claims

1. A multi-mode communication device, comprising:

a communication interface arranged to send and receive information; and

a processor coupled with the communication interface, the processor arranged to control a secure messaging service at the communication device by creating a first secure message, the first secure message comprising;

a first secure data portion encrypted with a first symmetric encryption key, and

a first authorized recipient device specific information comprising a first group label bound to a first access control list, wherein the first group label is a hash of a public key of the first authorized recipient device and signed with a private key associated with the communication device, and the access control list includes the first symmetric encryption key encrypted with a public key of a first authorized recipient device;

wherein the processor is further configured the communication interface to post at least the first secure data portion to an external data storage device;

wherein a recipient device receives at least the first secure data portion of the first secure message and performs all decryption processing required to read the secure message, the decryption processing is performed if the recipient device is authorized to read the secure message in accordance with the first authorized recipient device information, and the recipient device determines authorization by a query of the authorized recipient device information; and

wherein the external data storage device stores at least the secure data portion in a platform agnostic manner and without performing any encryption and decryption processing of the secure data portion.

2. The multi-mode communication device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the processor further to receive at least a portion of a second secure message authored by a second communication device from the external data storage device, the second secure message comprising;

a second secure data portion encrypted with a second symmetric encryption key, and

second authorized recipient device specific information comprising a second group label bound to a second access control list that includes the second symmetric encryption key encrypted with a public key of a second authorized recipient device.

3. The multi-mode communication device as recited in claim 2, wherein the communication device is authorized to read the second secure message only if the second access control list includes a public key associated with the communication device.

4. The multi-mode communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication device uses the communication interface to send the first secure data portion and the first group label to the external data storage device separately.

5. The multi-mode communication device as recited in claim 2, wherein the first and the second symmetric encryption keys are equivalent.

6. The multi-mode communication device as recited in claim 1 wherein the decryption processing is performed only if the recipient device is authorized to read the secure message.

7. The multi-mode communication device as recited in claim 2, wherein the second group label is formed by hashing a public key of the communication device signed with a private key associated with the second communication device.

18. The multi-mode communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the external data storage device stores at least the secure data portion in the platform agnostic manner, the platform agnostic manner being the external data storage device storing the secure data portion as unstructured data without regards to specific requirements of the secure data portion.

8. A method performed by a multi-mode communication device having a processor and a communication interface, the method comprising:

creating a secure message comprising a secure data portion encrypted by a first symmetric encryption key and device specific authorization information used by a recipient device to determine if the recipient device is authorized to read the secure message, the device specific authorization information including a first group label comprising a hash of a public key of the recipient device and signed with a private key associated with the communication device; and

posting at least a portion of the secure message to an external data storage device using the communication interface, wherein the recipient device receives the secure message and performs substantially all decryption processing required to read the secure message if authorized in accordance with the device specific authorization information, wherein the recipient device determines authorization by querying the device specific authorization information for identification information associated with the recipient device, thereby permitting the external data storage device to store the secure message in a platform agnostic manner, and to store the secure message without performing any encryption and decryption processing of the secure message.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a second secure message at the communication interface, the second secure message comprising;

a second secure data portion encrypted with a second symmetric encryption key, and second authorization information used by, and specific to the communication device to determine if the communication device is authorized to read the second secure message.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the group label is bound to an access control list that includes the first symmetric encryption key encrypted with a public key of the recipient device authorized to read the secure message, querying the device specific authorization information includes querying the group label for the public key, and the recipient device performs decryption processing required to read the secure message only if authorized in accordance with the device specific authorization information.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, the second authorization information comprising:

a second group label bound to a second access control list that includes the second symmetric encryption key encrypted with a public key of the multi-mode communication device only if the multi-mode communication device is authorized to read the secure message.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the first and the second symmetric encryption keys are equivalent.

13. Non-transitory computer readable medium for storing instructions executable by a processor, to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

storing at least a portion of a private message at a server, the private message comprising an data portion encrypted at an authoring client device, and device specific information identifying a recipient client device authorized to read the private message, the device specific information including a group label including a hash of a public key of the recipient client device and signed with a private key associated with the authoring client device; and

sending at least the encrypted data portion of the private message from the server to a client device, wherein the client device performs all decryption processing required to read the encrypted data portion if the client device is authorized, wherein no decryption processing related to the message is performed if the recipient client device is not authorized, and wherein the recipient client device is authorized by querying the server for the device specific identifying information, wherein the server stores the private message in a platform agnostic manner, and stores the private message without performing substantially any encryption or decryption related processing on the private message.

14. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the data portion is encrypted using a symmetric encryption key.

15. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein querying the server for the device specific identifying information includes querying the group label for the public key associated with the authorized client device.

16. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the group label is bound to an access control list, the access control list comprising a key, the key formed by encrypting the symmetric encryption key with a public key associated with the authorized client device.

17. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 16, the access control list further comprising computer code for adding an encrypted key corresponding to the authoring client device to the access control list by encrypting the symmetric key with a public key associated with the authoring client device.