Cooperative non-repudiated message exchange in a network environment

• US 20070143619A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jania, Frank, Goodman, Brian, Kebinger, James, Shaw, Darren
• Granted Patent: US 7,568,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/725 operating on a secure reference time value
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• 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 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data

Abstract

A system and method of performing cooperative non-repudiated message exchange from a first system to a second system in a computer network comprises checking for discrepancies between a current system time in the second system with an actual time; performing a time synchronization process to match the current system time with the actual time; exchanging public encryption keys between the first and second systems; sending a digitally signed message from the first system to the second system; decoding the digitally signed message; sending a digitally signed acknowledgment message from the second system to the first system; decoding the digitally signed acknowledgment message; and committing text of the digitally signed message to an official transcript on the first system.

Claims

1. A method of performing cooperative non-repudiated message exchange from a first system to a second system in a computer network, said method comprising:

checking for discrepancies between a current system time in said second system with an actual time;

performing a time synchronization process to match said current system time with said actual time;

exchanging public encryption keys between the first and second systems;

sending a digitally signed message from said first system to said second system;

decoding said digitally signed message;

sending a digitally signed acknowledgment message from said second system to said first system;

decoding said digitally signed acknowledgment message; and

committing text of said digitally signed message to an official transcript on said first system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a reconciliation message between said first and second systems;

decoding said reconciliation message, wherein said reconciliation message comprises a payload comprising a transcript;

determining an accuracy of said transcript by creating transcript deltas between identified text in said transcript and actual text in said transcript;

sending a digitally signed reconciliation response message;

decoding said digitally signed reconciliation response message;

reviewing said transcript; and

determining whether to accept said transcript.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said time synchronization process comprises:

verifying, by said second system, said current system time of said second system;

determining whether an official time check of said second system is required;

connecting to a list of known timeservers to resynchronize said current system time of said second system;

validating said current system time of said second system with said timeservers;

determining whether said current system time matches a pre-specified threshold; and

determining whether to accept said current system time as said actual time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding of said digitally signed message comprises:

verifying a digital signature of said digitally signed message; and

verifying a digital integrity of said digitally signed message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding of said digitally signed acknowledgment message comprises:

verifying a digital signature of said digitally signed acknowledgment message;

verifying a digital integrity of said digitally signed acknowledgment message;

identifying a message identifier and a digital signature in said digitally signed acknowledgment message; and

verifying that said digital signature matches a digital signature generated for said message identifier.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the decoding of said reconciliation message comprises:

verifying a digital signature of said reconciliation message; and

verifying an integrity of said reconciliation message.

7. A method of performing cooperative non-repudiated message exchange from a first system to a second system in a computer network, said method comprising:

sending a digitally signed message from said first system to said second system;

decoding said digitally signed message;

sending a digitally signed acknowledgment message from said second system to said first system, wherein said digitally signed acknowledgment message acknowledges receipt of said digitally signed message and verifies a correctness of said digitally signed message by said second system;

decoding said digitally signed acknowledgment message; and

committing text of said digitally signed message to an official transcript on said first system.

8. A program storage device readable by computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer to perform a method of performing cooperative non-repudiated message exchange from a first system to a second system in a computer network, said method comprising:

checking for discrepancies between a current system time in said second system with an actual time;

performing a time synchronization process to match said current system time with said actual time;

exchanging public encryption keys between the first and second systems;

sending a digitally signed message from said first system to said second system;

decoding said digitally signed message;

sending a digitally signed acknowledgment message from said second system to said first system;

decoding said digitally signed acknowledgment message; and

committing text of said digitally signed message to an official transcript on said first system.

9. The program storage device of claim 8, wherein said method further comprises:

transmitting a reconciliation message between said first and second systems;

decoding said reconciliation message, wherein said reconciliation message comprises a payload comprising a transcript;

determining an accuracy of said transcript by creating transcript deltas between identified text in said transcript and actual text in said transcript;

sending a digitally signed reconciliation response message;

decoding said digitally signed reconciliation response message;

reviewing said transcript; and

determining whether to accept said transcript.

10. The program storage device of claim 8, wherein in said method, said time synchronization process comprises:

verifying, by said second system, said current system time of said second system;

determining whether an official time check of said second system is required;

connecting to a list of known timeservers to resynchronize said current system time of said second system;

validating said current system time of said second system with said timeservers;

determining whether said current system time matches a pre-specified threshold; and

determining whether to accept said current system time as said actual time.

11. The program storage device of claim 8, wherein in said method, the decoding of said digitally signed message comprises:

verifying a digital signature of said digitally signed message; and

verifying a digital integrity of said digitally signed message.

12. The program storage device of claim 8, wherein in said method, the decoding of said digitally signed acknowledgment message comprises:

verifying a digital signature of said digitally signed acknowledgment message;

verifying a digital integrity of said digitally signed acknowledgment message;

identifying a message identifier and a digital signature in said digitally signed acknowledgment message; and

verifying that said digital signature matches a digital signature generated for said message identifier.

13. The program storage device of claim 9, wherein in said method, the decoding of said reconciliation message comprises:

verifying a digital signature of said reconciliation message; and

verifying an integrity of said reconciliation message.

14. A system of performing cooperative non-repudiated message exchange in a computer network, said system comprising:

a first system adapted to;

check for discrepancies between a current system time in said second system with an actual time; and

perform a time synchronization process to match said current system time with said actual time;

data public encryption keys exchanged between the first and second systems;

a digitally signed message transmitted from said first system to said second system;

a first decoder operatively connected to said second system and adapted to decode said digitally signed message;

a digitally signed acknowledgment message transmitted from said second system to said first system;

a second decoder operatively connected to said first system and adapted to decode said digitally signed acknowledgment message; and

an official transcript on said first system comprising text of said digitally signed message.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a reconciliation message transmitted between said first and second systems;

a third decoder operatively connected to said second system and adapted to decode said reconciliation message, wherein said reconciliation message comprises a payload comprising a transcript;

a processor operatively connected to said second system and adapted to determine an accuracy of said transcript by creating transcript deltas between identified text in said transcript and actual text in said transcript;

a digitally signed reconciliation response message; and

a fourth decoder operatively connected to said first system and adapted to decode said digitally signed reconciliation response message,

wherein said first system is adapted to review said transcript and determine whether to accept said transcript.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said second system is adapted to verify said current system time of said second system, wherein said first system is adapted to determine whether an official time check of said second system is required, and wherein said system further comprises a list of known timeservers operatively connected to said first system and adapted to resynchronize said current system time of said second system.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said timeservers are adapted to validate said current system time of said second system, wherein said first system is adapted to determine whether said current system time matches a pre-specified threshold and determine whether to accept said current system time as said actual time.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said first decoder is adapted to:

verify a digital signature of said digitally signed message; and

verify a digital integrity of said digitally signed message.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein said second decoder is adapted to:

verify a digital signature of said digitally signed acknowledgment message;

verify a digital integrity of said digitally signed acknowledgment message;

identify a message identifier and a digital signature in said digitally signed acknowledgment message; and

verify that said digital signature matches a digital signature generated for said message identifier.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein said fourth decoder is adapted to:

verify a digital signature of said reconciliation message; and

verify an integrity of said reconciliation message.