System and method of lawful access to secure communications

• US 9,083,509 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited, Certicom Corporation (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Buckley, Michael Eoin, Zaverucha, Gregory Marc, Campagna, Matthew John
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehedi, Morshed
• Application Number:
  US13/739,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20130182843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 380/22, 380/255
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/306 intercepting packet switched data communications, e.g. Web, Internet or IMS communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/08 Key distribution or management, e.g. generation, sharing or updating, of cryptographic keys or passwords network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting key management in a packet data network H04L63/06
• 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 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/12 Transmitting and receiving encryption devices synchronised or initially set up in a particular manner

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for secure communications. In some aspects, one or more values used to generate an encryption key used to encrypt a packet are stored in a header of the packet. The packet is transmitted with the encrypted data portion in a communication. In some aspects, one or more values used to generate an encryption key are received. The encryption key is regenerated using the one or more values.

Claims

1. A method for secure communication, the method comprising:

storing in a header of a packet one or more values used in generation of an encryption key used to encrypt the packet, wherein the one or more values comprise a nonce value that is combined with a secret key to generate a random number, wherein the random number is used to generate the encryption key, and wherein the packet is a secure real-time transport protocol (SRTP) packet and the header is an SRTP header;

encrypting at least a data portion of the packet using the encryption key; and

transmitting the packet with an encrypted data portion in a communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more values are stored in a master key identifier (MKI) field of the SRTP header.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more values further comprise a crypto session identity (CS ID) and a traffic encryption key generation key (TGK).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the nonce value comprises a value associated with an initiator of the communication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the encryption key is a traffic encryption key generated following a MIKEY-TICKET protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more values are stored in the header to assist with lawful access to the secured communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein some of the one or more values are not required for the secured communication.