Encrypting data using time stamps

• US 9,264,404 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2013
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Lambert, Paul A., Pannell, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiferaw, Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Giddins, Nelson
• Application Number:
  US13/965,754
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/121 Timestamp cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements involving time stamps H04L9/3297
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0618 Block ciphers, i.e. encrypting groups of characters of a plain text message using fixed encryption transformation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0637 Modes of operation, e.g. cipher block chaining [CBC], electronic codebook [ECB] or Galois/counter mode [GCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0872 using geo-location information, e.g. location data, time, relative position or proximity to other entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps

Abstract

A system including a time stamp module, an encryption module, and a packet generator module. The time stamp module is configured to generate a time stamp for a packet. The encryption module is configured to encrypt data using the time stamp and a security key. The packet generator module is configured to generate the packet. The packet includes (i) the time stamp in a header portion of the packet, and (ii) the encrypted data in a payload portion of the packet.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a time stamp module configured to generate a time stamp for a packet;

a key generator module configured to generate a security key, wherein the security key is separate and distinct from the time stamp;

an encryption module configured to

receive the time stamp from the time stamp module;

receive the security key from the key generator module; and

encrypt data in accordance with (i) Counter mode with Cipher-block chaining Message authentication code Protocol (CCMP) or (ii) Galois/Counter Mode Protocol (GCMP) using (i) the time stamp instead of using an initialization vector as specified in CCMP or GCMP; and

(ii) the security key; and

a packet generator module configured to generate the packet,

wherein the packet includes (i) the time stamp in a header portion of the packet, and (ii) the encrypted data in a payload portion of the packet, and

wherein the packet generator is configured to generate the packet without including an initialization vector field in the header portion of the packet.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the time stamp module is configured to not repeat the time stamp for encrypting data in a subsequent packet.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the time stamp module is configured to generate the time stamp based on a clock, and wherein the clock is synchronized with clocks of other devices in the system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the time stamp module is configured to generate the time stamp in accordance with IEEE P1722 specification.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the key generator module is configured to generate the security key based on a predetermined key, wherein the predetermined key is pre-negotiated with a receiver configured to receive the packet.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the encryption module is configured to generate a checksum based on at least one of unencrypted and encrypted portions of the packet, and

the packet generator is configured to include the checksum in the packet.

7. A transmitter comprising:

the system of claim 6; and

a transmit module configured to transmit the packet.

8. A network comprising:

the transmitter of claim 7; and

a receiver including

a receive module configured to (i) receive the packet transmitted by the transmitter, (ii) retrieve the time stamp included in the packet, and (iii) check integrity of the time stamp and authenticate the at least one of the unencrypted and encrypted portions of the packet based on the checksum;

a security module configured to generate the security key used to encrypt the data in the packet; and

a decryption module configured to decrypt the data in the packet using the time stamp and the security key.

9. A method comprising:

generating a time stamp for a packet;

generating a security key, wherein the security key is separate and distinct from the time stamp;

receiving the time stamp separately from the security key;

encrypting data in accordance with (i) Counter mode with Cipher-block chaining Message authentication code Protocol (CCMP) or (ii) Galois/Counter Mode Protocol (GCMP) using the (i) time stamp instead of using an initialization vector as specified in CCMP or GCMP; and

(ii) the security key;

generating the packet, wherein the packet includes (i) the time stamp in a header portion of the packet, and (ii) the encrypted data in a payload portion of the packet, and wherein the packet does not include an initialization vector field in the header portion of the packet; and

transmitting the packet.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising not repeating the time stamp for encrypting data in a subsequent packet.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating the time stamp based on a clock synchronized with clocks of other devices configured to receive the packet.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating the time stamp in accordance with IEEE P1722 specification.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating the security key based on a predetermined key, wherein the predetermined key is pre-negotiated with a receiver configured to receive the packet.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a checksum based on at least one of unencrypted and encrypted portions of the packet;

including the checksum in the transmitted packet;

receiving the packet at a receiver;

retrieving the time stamp included in the packet;

checking integrity of the time stamp and authenticating the at least one of the unencrypted and encrypted portions in the packet based on the checksum;

generating the security key used to encrypt the data in the packet; and

decrypting the data in the packet using the time stamp and the security key.