Decentralized authoritative messaging

• US 9,584,493 B1
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wickr Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leavy, Thomas Michael, Ryan, Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Darren B
• Application Number:
  US15/056,938
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0471 applying encryption by an intermediary, e.g. receiving clear information at the intermediary and encrypting the received information at the intermediary before forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• 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 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• 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 9/0643 Hash functions, e.g. MD5, SHA, HMAC or f9 MAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0822 using key encryption key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation

Abstract

A secure chat client is described that allows users to exchange encrypted communications via secure chat rooms, as well as one-to-one communications. In particular, the secure chat client allows users to create, configure, and manage secure chat rooms. Furthermore, the secure chat client provides users with the ability to recover secure messages when they obtain a new device or otherwise lose communications.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive, from a sender using a sending device, a first encrypted message for a secure chat room;

decrypt the first encrypted message;

in response to a determination that the decrypted first message does not belong to either of an existing room or an existing group, transmit a request for additional information to the sender;

receive an encrypted response from the sender in response to the transmitted request;

decrypt the encrypted response;

validate the additional information contained in the decrypted response from the sender, wherein the additional information includes a message encryption key for a second encrypted message;

retrieve the second encrypted message from a security platform using the additional information provided by sender;

decrypt the second encrypted message using the message encryption key received from the sender; and

provide the second decrypted message to the secure chat room; and

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

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the first decrypted message includes a group identifier; and

verify that the group identifier belongs to one of a plurality of secure chat rooms.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

indicate a failure to recognize the first decrypted message when the group identifier does not belong to one of a plurality of secure chat rooms.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

provide the first decrypted message to a secure chat room when the group identifier matches one of a plurality of secure chat rooms.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the sender is a participant in the secure chat room associated with the group identifier.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to:

indicate a failure to recognize the first decrypted message when the sender is not a participant in the secure chat room associated with the group identifier.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, from a sender using a sending device, a first encrypted message for a secure chat room;

decrypting the first encrypted message;

in response to a determination that the decrypted first message does not belong to either of an existing room or an existing group, transmitting a request for additional information to the sender;

receiving an encrypted response from the sender in response to the transmitted request;

decrypting the encrypted response;

validating the additional information contained in the decrypted response from the sender, wherein the additional information includes a message encryption key for a second encrypted message;

retrieving the second encrypted message from a security platform using the additional information provided by sender;

decrypting the second encrypted message using the message encryption key received from the sender; and

providing the second decrypted message to the secure chat room.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether the first decrypted message includes a group identifier; and

verifying that the group identifier belongs to one of a plurality of secure chat rooms.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

indicating a failure to recognize the first decrypted message when the group identifier does not belong to one of a plurality of secure chat rooms.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing the first decrypted message to a secure chat room when the group identifier matches one of a plurality of secure chat rooms.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether the sender is a participant in the secure chat room associated with the group identifier.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

indicating a failure to recognize the first decrypted message when the sender is not a participant in the secure chat room associated with the group identifier.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that when, executed by at least one processor, perform the steps of:

receiving, from a sender using a sending device, a first encrypted message for a secure chat room;

decrypting the first encrypted message;

in response to a determination that the decrypted first message does not belong to either of an existing room or an existing group, transmitting a request for additional information to the sender;

receiving an encrypted response from the sender in response to the transmitted request;

decrypting the encrypted response;

validating the additional information contained in the decrypted response from the sender, wherein the additional information includes a message encryption key for a second encrypted message;

retrieving the second encrypted message from a security platform using the additional information provided by sender;

decrypting the second encrypted message using the message encryption key received from the sender; and

providing the second decrypted message to the secure chat room.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for:

determining whether the first decrypted message includes a group identifier; and

verifying that the group identifier belongs to one of a plurality of secure chat rooms.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions for:

indicating a failure to recognize the first decrypted message when the group identifier does not belong to one of a plurality of secure chat rooms.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions for:

providing the first decrypted message to a secure chat room when the group identifier matches one of a plurality of secure chat rooms.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions for:

determining whether the sender is a participant in the secure chat room associated with the group identifier.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions for:

indicating a failure to recognize the first decrypted message when the sender is not a participant in the secure chat room associated with the group identifier.