Mutual secure communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12238095-B2
Application number	US-202318478419-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2023
Priority date	Apr 5, 2019
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

A sending device may send data intended for a target device. An intermediate device may intercept the data sent from the sending device and forward the communications to the target device. Security data (e.g., a security certificate for authentication) along with an encrypted version of the security data may be sent at the application layer such that it passes from the sending device, through the intermediate device, and to the target device without being analyzed or modified by the intermediate device. The target device may use the encrypted security data and the security data to verify the identity of the sending device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining, by a first device, a second device for receipt of data;
generating, by the first device, request data comprising:
certificate data; and
an encrypted version of the certificate data;

sending, by the first device via an intermediate device and to the second device, the request data, wherein the intermediate device is blocked from decrypting the encrypted version of the certificate data included in the request data; and
establishing, based on the certificate data included in the request data, a secure communication channel between the first device and the intermediate device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating the request data further comprises:
generating a nonce;
generating a timestamp;
generating an indication of a type of the certificate data; and
including the nonce, the timestamp, and the indication of the type in the request data.

3. A method comprising:
determining, by a first device, a second device for receipt of data;
generating, by the first device, request data comprising:
certificate data; and
an encrypted version of the certificate data;

encrypting the request data using a private key associated with the first device;
sending, by the first device via an intermediate device and to the second device, the request data; and
establishing, based on the certificate data included in the request data, a secure communication channel between the first device and the intermediate device.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the request data is included in a header of a message.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising receiving, by the first device and from a certificate authority, the certificate data.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising encoding, by the first device and using a Base64 encoding, the request data.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the establishing, based on the request data, the secure communication channel further comprises:
sending, to the intermediate device, a request message; and
receiving, from the intermediate device, a response message.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the establishing, based on the request data, the secure communication channel further comprises:
receiving, by the first device and from the intermediate device, a message indicating at least one of:
a chosen protocol version,
a random number,
cipher suite,
a compression method,
a session identifier,
a public key associated with the intermediate device, or
the public key associated with the second device.

9. A method comprising:
determining, by a first device, a second device for receipt of data;
generating, by the first device, request data comprising:
certificate data; and
an encrypted version of the certificate data;

sending, by the first device via an intermediate device and to the second device, the request data;
establishing, based on the certificate data included in the request data, a secure communication channel between the first device and the intermediate device; and
sending, by the first device, to the second device, and via the intermediate device, data that is encrypted by the first device, wherein the first device and the second device are managed by a first service provider, and the intermediate device is managed by a second service provider.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining, by the first device, the certificate data associated with the first device.

11. A method comprising:
determining, by a first device, a second device for receipt of data;
encrypting certificate data, using a public key associated with the second device, to generate an encrypted version of the certificate data;
generating, by the first device, request data comprising:
the certificate data; and
the encrypted version of the certificate data;

sending, by the first device via an intermediate device and to the second device, the request data; and
establishing, based on the certificate data included in the request data, a secure communication channel between the first device and the intermediate device.

12. A method comprising:
receiving, by a second device and from an intermediate device, request data comprising:
certificate data; and
an encrypted version of the certificate data;

decrypting the encrypted version of the certificate data using a private key associated with the second device to obtain decrypted certificate data;
validating the request data based on the decrypted certificate data and the certificate data; and
verifying an identity of a first device based on the certificate data.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the intermediate device is blocked from decrypting the encrypted version of the certificate data included in the request data.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising decrypting the request data using a public key associated with the first device.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising decoding, by the second device and using a Base64 decoding, the request data.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the validating the request data further comprises:
comparing, by the second device, a timestamp indicated in the request data to a current time maintained by the second device; and
validating the request data based on the current time being within a threshold period of the timestamp.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the validating the request data further comprises:
comparing, by the second device:
a nonce value indicated in the request data; and
a database of previously received nonce values.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the verifying the identity of the first device further comprises:
sending, to a certificate authority, the certificate data; and
receiving, from the certificate authority, validated certificate data.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the validating the request data further comprises:
decoding a digital signature based on the validated certificate data.

20. A first device comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first device to:
determine a second device for receipt of data;
generate request data comprising:
certificate data; and
an encrypted version of the certificate data;

send, via an intermediate device and to the second device, the request data, wherein the intermediate device is blocked from decrypting the encrypted version of the certificate data included in the request; and

establish, based on the certificate data included in the request data, a secure communication channel between the first device and the intermediate device.

21. The first device of claim 20 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the first device to:
generate a nonce;
generate a timestamp;
generate an indication of a type of the certificate data; and
include the nonce, the timestamp, and the indication of the type in the request data.

22. A first device comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the first device to:
determine a second device for receipt of data;
generate request data comprising:
certificate data; and
an encrypted version of the certificate data;

encrypt the request data using a private key associated with the first device;
send, via an intermediate device and to the second device, the reques

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Haque Asad
• Douglas Ahmad
• Altamimi Ahmad
• Long Liesheng

Classifications

• H04L63/0823

  using certificates (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263) · CPC title

• H04L9/3297

  involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps · CPC title

• H04L63/166

  at the transport layer · CPC title

• H04L9/3247

  involving digital signatures · CPC title

• H04L63/18

  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 title