Privacy and security mechanism for presence systems with tuple spaces

• US 20040032940A1
• Filed: 08/12/2003
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mitel Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Gray, Thomas A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,472,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/188
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/068 using time-dependent keys, e.g. periodically changing keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for controlling usage of secret information H04L9/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity

Abstract

A system is provided for cycling encryption keys to prevent the guessing of encrypted presence information in a shared information space. The system of the invention prevents malicious publication of presence information and ensures that only valid presence information is published to the shared information space. A malicious subscriber is prevented from knowing that he/she has been detected while a search is underway to determine his/her identity. During such a search, authorized subscribers are shifted to a new source of presence information while the malicious subscriber remains at the previous source.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining privacy and security of messages relating to changes in presence information posted by a presentity to a shared information space, comprising:

encrypting said messages with a unique key provided by said presentity; and

changing said unique key, re-encrypting and re-posting said messages to said shared information space at random intervals that are not coincident with changes in said presence information.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising encrypting said messages with multiple unique identifiers to create multiple sites of presence information in said shared information space based on information sharing policies specified by said presentity.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to or as illustrated in the accompanying FIG. 1.

3. A system for privately and securely exchanging information about a first entity with at least one further entity, comprising:

a shared information space for storing tuples that contain said information;

a presentity for publishing encrypted information about said first entity to said shared information space, wherein said information is encrypted with a unique identifier of said presentity;

a watcher agent associated with said at least one further entity for posting a SUBSCRIBE tuple to said shared information space to initiate a subscription to said information published by said presentity;

a presentity agent associated with said first entity for returning a SUBSCRIBE-REPLY message containing an encryption key for subscribing said further entity to said encrypted information published by said presentity; and

a watcher associated with said further entity for monitoring said information space and decrypting said information using said.encryption key and providing said information to said further entity.

5. A system as claimed in claim 3 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to or as illustrated in the accompanying FIG. 1.