Encryption device, encryption method, and encryption program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9237008-B2
Application number	US-201114118954-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2011
Priority date	Jul 25, 2011
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

An encryption device that, when voice or image data or the like being encoded is encrypted using a one-time pad (OTP) cipher and then transmitted, reduces a period of time in which a cipher key for the OTP cipher runs out. A first terminal device determines whether to encode transmission data by a first encoding scheme or a second encoding scheme having a lower bit rate than the first encoding scheme, depending on the number of remaining bits of an OTP cipher key, and encodes the transmission data according to the determined encoding scheme, thereby generating encoded data. The first terminal device encrypts the generated encoded data with the OTP cipher using the OTP cipher key, thereby generating encrypted communication data, and transmits the generated encrypted communication data to a second terminal device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An encryption device comprising:
a memory configured to store a cipher key composed of a plurality of bits and used in a one-time pad cipher; and
circuitry configured to
determine an encoding scheme with which transmission data is to be encoded from a first encoding scheme and a second encoding scheme having a lower bit rate than the first encoding scheme, based on a number of remaining bits of the cipher key stored by the memory;
encode the transmission data according to the determined encoding scheme to generate encoded data; and
encrypt the encoded data with the one-time pad cipher using the cipher key stored in the memory to generate encrypted data, wherein

while the circuitry encodes the transmission data according to the second encoding scheme, if the number of the remaining bits of the cipher key stored by the memory rises to or above a predetermined number of bits, the circuitry switches the encoding scheme to encode the transmission data according to the first encoding scheme.

2. The encryption device according to claim 1 , wherein
while the circuitry encodes the transmission data according to the first encoding scheme, if the number of the remaining bits of the cipher key stored by the memory falls below the predetermined number of bits, the circuitry switches the encoding scheme to encode the transmission data according to the second encoding scheme.

3. The encryption device according to claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry encodes the transmission data according to the first encoding scheme if the number of the remaining bits of the cipher key stored by the memory is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of bits at start of communication, and the circuitry encodes the transmission data according to the second encoding scheme if the number of the remaining bits of the cipher key stored by the memory at the start of communication is less than the predetermined number of bits.

4. The encryption device according to claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry determines whether to encode the transmission data according to the first encoding scheme or the second encoding scheme, depending on a number of remaining bits of a one-time pad cipher key stored by a terminal to which the transmission data is to be transmitted.

5. The encryption device according to claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry determines whether to encode the transmission data according to the first encoding scheme or the second encoding scheme, depending on a significance level of the transmission data.

6. The encryption device according to claim 5 , wherein
when the significance level of the transmission data is high, the circuitry encodes the transmission data according to the first encoding scheme, regardless of the number of the remaining bits of the cipher key stored by the memory.

7. The encryption device according to claim 5 , wherein
the circuitry determines a number of bits to be used as a threshold value in accordance with the significance level of the transmission data, and determines whether to encode the transmission data according to the first encoding scheme or the second encoding scheme, depending on whether the number of the remaining bits of the cipher key stored by the memory is less than the number of bits determined as the threshold value.

8. The encryption device according to claim 5 , wherein
the circuitry determines the significance level of the transmission data in accordance with at least either of a terminal to which the transmission data is to be transmitted and a communication record with the terminal to which the transmission data is to be transmitted.

9. The encryption device according to claim 5 , wherein
the transmission data includes voice data; and
the circuitry determines the significance level of the transmission data in accordance with a change in the voice data.

10. The encryption device according to claim 1 , wherein
while a predetermined input is made by an input device, the circuitry encodes the transmission data according to the first encoding scheme, regardless of the number of the remaining bits of the cipher key stored by the memory.

11. The encryption device according to claim 1 , wherein
the memory is a non-volatile storage device that stores the cipher key; and
the circuitry is configured to copy the cipher key for the one-time pad cipher from the memory to a volatile storage device, erase from the memory the cipher key that has been copied, and then encrypt the encoded data using the cipher key copied to the volatile storage device.

12. The encryption device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a user interface configured to notify a user of switching of the encoding scheme when the circuitry switches the encoding scheme.

13. An encryption method comprising:
a scheme determination process, by a processing device, of determining an encoding scheme with which transmission data is to be encoded from a first encoding scheme and a second encoding scheme having a lower bit rate than the first encoding scheme, depending on a number of remaining bits of a cipher key stored in a storage device;
an encoding process, by the processing device, of encoding the transmission data according to the encoding scheme determined by the scheme determination process, thereby generating encoded data; and
an encryption process, by the processing device, of encrypting with a one-time pad cipher using the cipher key stored in the storage device the encoded data generated by the encoding process, thereby generating encrypted data, wherein
while the transmission data is encoded according to the second encoding scheme, if the number of the remaining bits of the cipher key stored by the storage device rises to or above a predetermined number of bits, the encoding process switches to encoding the transmission data according to the first encoding scheme.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium including an encryption program that includes computer executable instructions that make a computer execute:
a scheme determination process of determining an encoding scheme with which transmission data is to be encoded from a first encoding scheme and a second encoding scheme having a lower bit rate than the first encoding scheme, depending on a number of remaining bits of a cipher key stored in a storage device;
an encoding process of encoding the transmission data according to the encoding scheme determined by the scheme determination process, thereby generating encoded data; and
an encryption process of encrypting with a one-time pad cipher using the cipher key stored in the storage device the encoded data generated by the encoding process, thereby generating encrypted data, wherein
while the transmission data is encoded according to the second encoding scheme, if the number of the remaining bits of the cipher key stored by the storage device rises to or above a predetermined number of bits, the encoding process switches to encoding the transmission data according to the first encoding scheme.

Assignees

• Shibata Yoichi
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Shibata Yoichi

Classifications

• G10L19/24

  Variable rate codecs, e.g. for generating different qualities using a scalable representation such as hierarchical encoding or layered encoding · CPC title

• G10L19/22

  Mode decision, i.e. based on audio signal content versus external parameters · CPC title

• H04L9/0852

  Quantum cryptography (transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. light, infrared H04B10/00; wavelength-division multiplex systems H04J14/02; WDM arrangements H04J14/03) · CPC title

• H04L9/0819 Primary

  Key transport or distribution, i.e. key establishment techniques where one party creates or otherwise obtains a secret value, and securely transfers it to the other(s) (network architectures or network communication protocols for key distribution in a packet data network H04L63/062) · CPC title

• H04L9/16

  the keys or algorithms being changed during operation · CPC title