Blind Public Key Authentication for Secure Device Pairing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing password-based public key authentication methods are insecure due to the lack of long-term public key identification and limited connectivity between devices, while the mutually blinded Diffie Hellman method requires prior interaction for verification.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for efficient password-based public key authentication involving the generation of hash values, blind public keys, and symmetric keys to verify identities between user devices, allowing secure connection without prior interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If password-based authentication is used, then any user device with a shared password can connect with any other device, but the connection is insecure and devices cannot be identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the authentication process into two distinct components: password-based session establishment and public key-based identity verification. This allows the system to maintain the versatility of password-based connectivity while adding a separate layer of security through public key exchange and verification, resolving the contradiction between ease of connection and connection security
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges two authentication methodologies (password-based authentication and public key infrastructure) into a unified authentication system. By combining the shared password mechanism with blind public key exchange and verification, the system achieves both the adaptability of universal password-based access and the reliability of cryptographic identity verification
2Reliability
If mutually blinded Diffie Hellman method is used, then identities can be verified before data transmission, but a device cannot connect with devices it has not interacted with previously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary public key exchange and blind signature generation during the authentication phase itself, rather than requiring prior interaction. Devices generate their public keys and obtain blind signatures from the other party as part of the initial password-based authentication process, enabling both identity verification and connection with new devices simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by having devices verify identities through blind public keys generated during the authentication process itself, rather than requiring pre-established trust relationships. The blind signature mechanism allows a device to verify another device's identity without having previously interacted with it, reversing the conventional wisdom that prior interaction is necessary for trust establishment
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for efficient password based public key authentication between a first user device and a second user device, a shared password is received by a first user device which generates a first hash value of the shared password and a first value, wherein the first value is composed of at least a product of the first hash value and a first unique security constant associated with the first user. The first user device then generates a first random value generated using data from a generator element, and a first blind public key associated with the first user device, wherein the first blind public key is generated using a first public key. The first user device concurrently sends the first value and the first blind public key to the second user device for authentication.