Secret sharing method and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9331984-B2
Application number	US-201313973232-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2013
Priority date	Aug 24, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

In a secret sharing process based on an improved threshold scheme, secret data is shared as shared data parts equal to or greater than a threshold value in number such that the secret data cannot be reconstructed from shared data parts less than the threshold value in number. Each of the shared data pieces is created essentially from a different combination of the secret data pieces and the data pieces for secret sharing computation. The secret sharing process allows an algorithm desired by the user to be freely incorporated, and can prevent the secret data to be easily reconstructed even when more shared data parts than the threshold value are acquired by a third party.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A secret sharing method in which secret data is shared as shared data parts equal to or greater than a threshold value in number such that the secret data cannot be reconstructed from shared data parts less than the threshold value in number, comprising:
deriving secret data pieces from secret data stored in a storage;
generating a plurality of groups being equal to or greater than the threshold value in number, one of the groups having at least parts of unpublished data pieces, and another one of the groups having at least parts of secret data pieces derived from the secret data stored in a storage;
creating, by a processor, a plurality of shared data parts, each of which having shared data pieces, at least parts of the shared data pieces are created by combining at least parts of the unpublished data pieces and at least parts of the secret data pieces; and
combining the created shared data pieces into a plurality of shared data parts, including first shared data parts and second shared data parts, equal to or greater than the threshold value in number;
wherein at least parts of the shared data pieces combined into the first shared data parts are created based on combinations of at least parts of the unpublished data pieces and at least parts of the secret data pieces, and
at least parts of the shared data pieces combined into the second shared data parts are created based on other combinations of at least parts of the unpublished data pieces and at least parts of the secret data pieces, which are different from the combinations of at least parts of the unpublished data pieces and at least parts of the secret data pieces that were used to create the first shared data parts.

2. The secret sharing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the unpublished data pieces comprise a random number data piece.

3. The secret sharing method according to claim 2 ,
wherein at least one of the groups of the unpublished data pieces entirely consists of random number data pieces.

4. The secret sharing method according to claim 2 ,
wherein at least one of the shared data pieces consists of a random number data piece.

5. The secret sharing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the unpublished data pieces comprise a secret data piece obtained by processing the secret data.

6. The secret sharing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the shared data pieces include those created by using a reference table designating a correspondence between the unpublished data pieces and the shared data pieces.

7. The secret sharing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the shared data pieces include those created by operating XOR on the unpublished data pieces.

8. The secret sharing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the shared data pieces include those created by operating a shared data creating mathematical function on the unpublished data pieces.

9. The secret sharing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein each shared data piece is created from a different combination of one of the unpublished data pieces and one of the secret data pieces.

10. The secret sharing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the unpublished data pieces comprise random number data pieces, parts of the secret data pieces, or data pieces input from a user.

11. A secret sharing system including a secret sharing processor for splitting secret data into a plurality of shared data parts equal to a greater than a threshold value in number, a communication controller for transmitting the shared data parts and a reconstruction processor for reconstructing the secret data from the shared data parts equal to or greater than the threshold value in number received from the communication controller, wherein:
the secret sharing processor is configured to derive secret data pieces from secret data stored in a storage;
the secret sharing processor is also configured to create a plurality of shared data parts, each of which having shared data pieces, at least parts of the shared data pieces are created by combining into different combinations of at least parts of unpublished data pieces and at least parts of secret data pieces generated from the secret data; and
the reconstruction processor is configured to reconstruct the secret data from the received shared data parts upon receiving the shared data parts equal to greater than the threshold value in number;
each of the shared data pieces being created from an essentially different combination of the unpublished data pieces and the secret data pieces.

12. The secret sharing system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the unpublished data pieces comprise a random number data piece.

13. The secret sharing system according to claim 12 ,
wherein the unpublished data pieces entirely consist of random number data pieces.

14. The secret sharing system according to claim 12 ,
wherein at least one of the shared data parts consists of a random number data part.

15. The secret sharing system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the secret data pieces comprise a secret data piece obtaining by processing the secret data.

16. The secret sharing system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the shared data pieces include those created by using a reference table designating a correspondence between the unpublished data pieces and the shared data pieces.

17. The secret sharing system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the shared data pieces include those created by operating XOR on one of the unpublished data pieces and one of the secret data pieces.

18. The secret sharing system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the shared data pieces include those created by operating a shared data creating mathematical function on one of the unpublished data pieces and one of the secret data pieces.

19. The secret sharing system according to claim 11 ,
wherein each shared data piece is created from a different combination of one of the unpublished data pieces and one of the secret data pieces.

20. The secret sharing system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the unpublished data pieces comprise random number data pieces, parts of the secret data pieces, or data pieces input from a user.

Assignees

• Panasonic Corp
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsuo Masakatsu

Classifications

• H04L9/0869

  involving random numbers or seeds · CPC title

• H04L9/085 Primary

  Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes · CPC title

• H04L63/0428 Primary

  wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload · CPC title