Secure telecommunications

• US 9,596,079 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2016
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wickr Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wickr Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kasabwala, Dipakkumar R., Leavy, Thomas Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Darren B
• Application Number:
  US15/190,139
• Time in Patent Office: 265 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 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 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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 9/0833 involving conference or group key network architectures or network communication protocols for key management in group communication in a packet data network H04L63/065
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0891 Revocation or update of secret information, e.g. encryption key update or rekeying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3066 involving algebraic varieties, e.g. elliptic or hyper-elliptic curves
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/69 Identity-dependent

Abstract

The present disclosure describes techniques for configuring and participating in encrypted audio calls, audio conferences, video calls, and video conferences. In particular, a call initiator generates a meeting identifier and a first meeting key, which are encrypted using a first encryption key and distributed to one or more participants of the call. The one or more participants decrypt the meeting identifier and the first meeting key, and use that information to participate in the encrypted call. Further, participants respond to the encrypted communication data by encrypting their reply data with the first meeting key. The call initiator decrypts the reply data using the first meeting key.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a request to initialize a secure telecommunication via a control channel, wherein the request includes at least one of an encrypted first encryption key, an encrypted meeting identifier, and an encrypted first meeting key;

decrypt the encrypted first encryption key included in the request to initialize the secure telecommunication, wherein the first encryption key was previously generated by obtaining ephemeral environmental noise from a kernel operation executing on an initiating client'"'"'s device;

decrypt the encrypted meeting identifier and the encrypted first meeting key using the first encryption key;

obtain encrypted communication data, via a communication channel, using the decrypted meeting identifier;

decrypt the encrypted communication data using the decrypted first meeting key; and

provide the decrypted communication data to a user; 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 configured to:

transmit the decrypted meeting identifier to a communication server, via the communication channel, in order to obtain the encrypted communication data.

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

receive encrypted communication data from the communication server over the communication channel.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the encrypted first encryption key is twice-encrypted.

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

decrypt the twice-encrypted first encryption key using a device key unique to a receiver'"'"'s device to produce a once-encrypted first encryption key; and

decrypt the once-encrypted first encryption key with a key-encrypting key unique to the receiver'"'"'s device to obtain the decrypted first encryption key.

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

encrypt a reply data response to the received encrypted communication data using the first meeting key received in the request to initialize the secure telecommunication; and

transmit the encrypted reply data to one or more participants of the secure telecommunication via the communication channel.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication data is selected from a group consisting of:

a video call, an audio call, a video conference, and a conference call.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a request to initialize a secure telecommunication via a control channel, wherein the request includes at least one of an encrypted first encryption key, an encrypted meeting identifier, and an encrypted first meeting key;

decrypting the encrypted first encryption key included in the request to initialize the secure telecommunication, wherein the first encryption key was previously generated by obtaining ephemeral environmental noise from a kernel operation executing on an initiating client'"'"'s device;

decrypting the encrypted meeting identifier and the encrypted first meeting key using the first encryption key;

obtaining encrypted communication data, via a communication channel, using the decrypted meeting identifier;

decrypting the encrypted communication data using the decrypted first meeting key; and

providing the decrypted communication data to a user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein obtaining encrypted communication data further comprises:

transmitting the decrypted meeting identifier to a communication server.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving encrypted communication data from the communication server over the communication channel.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the encrypted first encryption key is twice-encrypted.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

decrypting the twice-encrypted first encryption key using a device key unique to a receiver'"'"'s device to produce a once-encrypted first encryption key; and

decrypting the once-encrypted first encryption key with a key-encrypting key unique to the receiver'"'"'s device to obtain the decrypted first encryption key.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

encrypting a reply data response to the received encrypted communication data using the first meeting key received in the request to initialize the secure telecommunication; and

transmitting the encrypted reply data to one or more participants of the secure telecommunication via the communication channel.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication data is selected from a group consisting of:

a video call, an audio call, a video conference, and a conference call.

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

receiving a request to initialize a secure telecommunication via a control channel, wherein the request includes at least one of an encrypted first encryption key, an encrypted meeting identifier, and an encrypted first meeting key;

decrypting the encrypted first encryption key included in the request to initialize the secure telecommunication, wherein the first encryption key was previously generated by obtaining ephemeral environmental noise from a kernel operation executing on an initiating client'"'"'s device;

decrypting the encrypted meeting identifier and the encrypted first meeting key using the first encryption key;

obtaining encrypted communication data, via a communication channel, using the decrypted meeting identifier;

decrypting the encrypted communication data using the decrypted first meeting key; and

providing the decrypted communication data to a user.

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

transmitting the decrypted meeting identifier to a communication server to obtain the encrypted communication data.

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

receiving encrypted communication data from the communication server over the communication channel.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the encrypted first encryption key is twice-encrypted.

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

decrypting the twice-encrypted first encryption key using a device key unique to a receiver'"'"'s device to produce a once-encrypted first encryption key; and

decrypting the once-encrypted first encryption key with a key-encrypting key unique to the receiver'"'"'s device to obtain the decrypted first encryption key.

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

encrypting a reply data response to the received encrypted communication data using the first meeting key received in the request to initialize the secure telecommunication; and

transmitting the encrypted reply data to one or more participants of the secure telecommunication via the communication channel.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the communication data is selected from a group consisting of:

a video call, an audio call, a video conference, and a conference call.