Method for providing information security for wireless transmissions

Abstract

A wireless communication system includes a pager or similar device that communicates to a home terminal. The home terminal confirms the identify of the pager and attaches a certificate to the message for ongoing transmission. Where the recipient is also a pager, an associated home terminal verifies the transmission and forwards it in a trusted manner without the certificate to the recipient.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 680,501 filed on Oct. 5, 2000.[0002] The present invention relates generally to cryptographic schemes, and specifically to cryptographic schemes relating to wireless applications. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Information security is required to secure many types of transactions performed electronically using a wide range of computing and communication technologies. As consumers demand more flexible, convenient services, technologies such as wireless networks, paging infrastructures and smart cards are being deployed to support critical, information sensitive applications including account inquiries, electronic cash, secure communications and access control. One of the key features of each of these technologies is that they offer consumers the convenience of service anywhere, any time. The convenience offered to consumers results in a challenge for the vendors to create smaller and faster devices w...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

The convenience offered to consumers results in a challenge for the vendors to create smaller and faster devices while providing a high level of security for information computed and transmitted.

These problems are generally easy to solve for numbers that are small in size, but become increasingly difficult as lager numbers are used.

One of the differences among the systems is how large the numbers have to be so that the system is too hard to solve given present and anticipated computing power.

Elliptic curve cryptosystems are based on an exceptionally difficult mathematical problem, Thus, elliptic curve systems can maintain security equivalent to many other systems while using much smaller public keys.

The first level of a cryptosystem involves encrypting a message between correspondent A and correspondent B. This level is vulnerable to attack since there is no way for correspondent A to verify whether or not correspondent B sent the message, or if a third party in the guise of correspondent B sent the message.

As a result, both correspondents would unwittingly divulge their information to the third party.

Therefore, the signature verifies that the message sent by a correspondent is sent from that correspondent, but it does not verify the identity of the correspondent.

However, implementing the above mentioned cryptosystems requires computational power, which is limited on such wireless devices.

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