Decentralized authoritative messaging

• US 9,807,067 B1
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• 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: Ryan, Gerard, Leavy, Thomas Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Darren B
• Application Number:
  US15/381,061
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• 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, at a first device, a first encrypted message from a second device, wherein the first encrypted message includes instructions to create a secure chat room and at least one parameter for the secure chat room;

decrypt, at the first device, the first encrypted message;

extract, at the first device, the instructions to create the secure chat room and the at least one parameter from the decrypted first message;

obtain, by the first device, a list of participants of the secure chat room from metadata included in the decrypted first message; and

create, on the first device, the secure chat room based on the instructions and the at least one parameter included in the decrypted first message; and

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

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

retrieve, by the first device, the first encrypted message from a secure messaging platform in response to receiving an alert from the secure messaging platform.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the alert is a push notification.

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

configure, by the first device, the secure chat room based on the at least one parameter included in the decrypted first message.

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

store secure chat room information in a secure database located on the first device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the secure chat room information includes a block chain for recording each transaction associated with the secure chat room.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the secure database is encrypted with a local storage key.

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

receive, at the first device, a second encrypted message from a third device;

decrypt, at the first device, the second encrypted message;

determine, at the first device, whether the decrypted second message is for the secure chat room;

in response to determining that the decrypted second message is for the secure chat room, deliver the decrypted second message to the secure chat room.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first device, a first encrypted message from a second device, wherein the first encrypted message includes instructions to create a secure chat room and at least one parameter for the secure chat room;

decrypting, at the first device, the first encrypted message;

extracting, at the first device, the instructions to create the secure chat room and the at least one parameter from the decrypted first message;

obtaining, by the first device, a list of participants of the secure chat room from metadata included in the decrypted first message; and

creating, on the first device, the secure chat room based on the instructions and the at least one parameter included in the decrypted first message.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising:

retrieving, by the first device, the first encrypted message from a secure messaging platform in response to receiving an alert from the secure messaging platform.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

configuring, by the first device, the secure chat room based on the at least one parameter included in the decrypted first message.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising:

storing secure chat room information in a secure database located on the first device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the secure chat room information includes a block chain for recording each transaction associated with the secure chat room.

14. The method of claim 9, comprising:

receiving, at the first device, a second encrypted message from a second device;

decrypting, at the first device, the second encrypted message;

determining, at the first device, whether the decrypted second message is for the secure chat room;

in response to determining that the decrypted second message is for the secure chat room, delivering the decrypted second message to the secure chat room.

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

receiving a first encrypted message from a second device, wherein the first encrypted message includes instructions to create a secure chat room and at least one parameter for the secure chat room;

decrypting the first encrypted message;

extracting the instructions to create the secure chat room and the at least one parameter from the decrypted first message;

obtaining a list of participants of the secure chat room from metadata included in the decrypted first message; and

creating a secure chat room based on the instructions and the at least one parameter included in the decrypted first message.

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

configuring the secure chat room based on the at least one parameter included in the decrypted first message.

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

storing secure chat room information in a secure database located on the first device, wherein the secure chat room information includes a block chain for recording each transaction associated with the secure chat room.

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

receiving, at the first device, a second encrypted message from a second device;

decrypting, at the first device, the second encrypted message;

determining, at the first device, whether the decrypted second message is for the secure chat room;

in response to determining that the decrypted second message is for the secure chat room, delivering the decrypted second message to the secure chat room.