Multi party messaging

• US 9,083,529 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2014
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wickr Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Statica, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Zee, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/199,933
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 726/28, 713/153, 713/165, 380/281, 380/282, 380/284, 380/285
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/24 Key scheduling, i.e. generating round keys or sub-keys for block encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• 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 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• 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 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• 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 9/0816 Key establishment, i.e. cryptographic processes or cryptographic protocols whereby a shared secret becomes available to two or more parties, for subsequent use
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• 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 9/0841 : involving Diffie-Hellman or related key agreement protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 : involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/30 : Public key, i.e. encryption algorithm being computationally infeasible to invert or user's encryption keys not requiring secrecy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3066 : involving algebraic varieties, e.g. elliptic or hyper-elliptic curves
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 : using cryptographic hash functions

Abstract

Multi-party messaging is disclosed. A plurality of public keys is requested from a first server, wherein the plurality of public keys is associated with a plurality of recipients. A message containing one or more components is encrypted using a symmetric key. The symmetric key is encrypted, using each of the respective public keys, resulting in a plurality of encrypted symmetric keys. The encrypted message and the encrypted symmetric keys are encapsulated in an encapsulation. The encapsulation is transmitted to a second server.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first interface configured to receive, from a user, an indication of a plurality of message recipients;

a second interface configured to;

request, from a first server, a plurality of public keys associated with the plurality of recipients;

a processor configured to;

encrypt a message containing one or more components using a symmetric key;

encrypt the symmetric key a plurality of times, using each of the respective public keys, to generate a plurality of encrypted symmetric keys;

encapsulate the encrypted message and the plurality of encrypted symmetric keys in an encapsulation, wherein the encapsulation includes, for at least some message recipients, at least one of an individual device identifier and an individual application identifier associated with the respective at least some recipients, and wherein the encapsulation is performed, at least in part, using a spreading function; and

transmit the encapsulation to a second server; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the second interface is further configured to request at least one respective device identifier associated with each of the respective recipients.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the second interface is further configured to request at least one respective application identifier associated with each of the respective recipients.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to include a public key of a sender in the encapsulation.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the processor is further configured to include a device identifier of the sender in the encapsulation.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one recipient included in the plurality of recipients is associated with a single public key and a plurality of device identifiers.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a user, an indication of a plurality of message recipients;

requesting, from a first server, a plurality of public keys associated with the plurality of recipients;

encrypting a message containing one or more components using a symmetric key;

encrypting the symmetric key a plurality of times, using each of the respective public keys, to generate a plurality of encrypted symmetric keys;

encapsulating the encrypted message and the plurality of encrypted symmetric keys in an encapsulation, wherein the encapsulation includes, for at least some message recipients, at least one of an individual device identifier and an individual application identifier associated with the respective at least some recipients, and wherein the encapsulation is performed, at least in part, using a spreading function; and

transmitting the encapsulation to a second server.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising requesting at least one respective device identifier associated with each of the respective recipients.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising requesting at least one respective application identifier associated with each of the respective recipients.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising including a public key of a sender in the encapsulation.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising including a device identifier of the sender in the encapsulation.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein at least one recipient included in the plurality of recipients is associated with a single public key and a plurality of device identifiers.

13. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving, from a user, an indication of a plurality of message recipients;

requesting, from a first server, a plurality of public keys associated with the plurality of recipients;

encrypting a message containing one or more components using a symmetric key;

encrypting the symmetric key a plurality of times, using each of the respective public keys, to generate a plurality of encrypted symmetric keys;

encapsulating the encrypted message and the plurality of encrypted symmetric keys in an encapsulation, wherein the encapsulation includes, for at least some message recipients, at least one of an individual device identifier and an individual application identifier associated with the respective at least some recipients, and wherein the encapsulation is performed, at least in part, using a spreading function; and

transmitting the encapsulation to a second server.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising computer instructions for requesting at least one respective device identifier associated with each of the respective recipients.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising computer instructions for requesting at least one respective application identifier associated with each of the respective recipients.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 further comprising computer instructions for including a public key of a sender in the encapsulation.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprising computer instructions for including a device identifier of the sender in the encapsulation.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein at least one recipient included in the plurality of recipients is associated with a single public key and a plurality of device identifiers.