Method for communicating in a network, a communication device and a system therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9813903-B2
Application number	US-200913063216-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2009
Priority date	Sep 17, 2008
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communication system comprising a first node and second node adapted for communicating in a network, wherein the first node comprises a first list of keying materials including a plurality of keying materials, wherein the second node comprises a second list of keying materials including a plurality of keying materials, wherein the first node further comprises a receiver for receiving from the second node a second node identifier, a controller being arranged for determining from the second node identifier the position in the first list of at least one keying material having a common root with one keying material of the second list, and for generating an encryption key by means of the keying material having a common root and the second node identifier.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a first node for communicating in a network with a second node, the method comprising the acts of:
in a first node:
a receiver configured to receive from a second node, a second node identifier,
a controller configured to:
determine from the second node identifier, a position of a cryptographic element in a first logical list of cryptographic elements associated with the first node, wherein the position identifies a cryptographic element having a common root with a cryptographic element among a plurality of cryptographic elements of a second logical list associated with the second node, the determination comprising:

computing a second node block identifier as:
j 2 =i 2 mod( n 2 +n+ 1),
where j 2 is the block identifier of the second node, i 2 the second node identifier, and n is the order of a Finite Projective Plane;

computing a first block identifier of the first node as:
j 1 =i 1 mod( n 2 +n+ 1),
where j 1 is the block identifier, and i 1 the first node identifier,
wherein if the second node block identifier equals the first block identifier, the position of the cryptographic element in the first logical list is dependent on:

k
1

=



i
1

-

i
2



n
2

+
n
+
1

⁢

⁢

(

mod
⁢

⁢
n

+
1

)

,

 and

if the second node block identifier does not equal the first block identifier, the position of the cryptographic element in the first logical list is dependent on:

k
=



j
2

-

j
1





a
2

-

a
1



⁢

⁢

(

mod
⁢

⁢
n

)

,

where a 2 equals floor(j 2 /n) and a 1 equals floor (j 1 /n), and

generating an encryption key by means of the cryptographic element having the common root and the second node identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cryptographic elements are keying materials for generating a shared key between the first and second node.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to the receiving act,
assigning to the nodes of the network, a logical list of cryptographic elements, the logical list being selected depending on an identifier of the corresponding node among a plurality of available logical lists of cryptographic elements.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the logical lists of cryptographic elements are generated so that any pair of logical lists comprise each at least one cryptographic element having a common root.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the logical lists of cryptographic elements are generated so that a position of a common element in two different logical lists can be discovered without generating the whole composition of the logical list of cryptographic elements.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein there is a relationship between each considered pair of logical lists and the position in each logical list of the pair of the at least one keying material having a common root.

7. A communication node adapted for communicating in a network with a second communication node, wherein the communication node comprises:
a communication node identifier,
a first logical list of cryptographic elements including a plurality of cryptographic elements;
a receiver configured to:
receive a second identifier from the second communication node, and

a controller configured to:
determine from the second identifier, a position of at least one cryptographic element in the first logical list of cryptographic elements, wherein the position identifies a cryptographic element having a common root with a cryptographic element of a second logical list of cryptographic elements associated with the second communication node,

the determination comprising:
computing a second node block identifier as:
j 2 =i 2 mod( n 2 +n+ 1),
where j 2 is the block identifier of the second node, i 2 the second node identifier, and n is the order of a Finite Projective Plane;

computing a first block identifier of the first node as:
j 1 =i 1 mod( n 2 +n+ 1),
where j 1 is the block identifier, and i 1 the first node identifier,
wherein if the second node block identifier equals the first block identifier, the position of the cryptographic element in the first logical list is dependent on:

k
1

=



i
1

-

i
2



Assignees

• Maas Martijn
• Garcia Morchon Oscar
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Maas Martijn
• Garcia Morchon Oscar

Classifications

• H04L63/061 Primary

  for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838) · CPC title

• H04L63/0435

  wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06) · CPC title

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• H04W12/04 Primary

  Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA] · CPC title

• H04L9/085

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