Confidential Mutual Authentication Using Blinded Public Keys
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Ensuring secure communication between computers is challenging, especially when they do not previously store each other's digital certificates, as attackers can intercept public keys and conduct man-in-the-middle attacks, compromising identity and authentication data.
Innovation Solution
Computers generate blinded public keys using cryptographic nonces and their own private keys, encrypt authentication information, and establish shared secrets for secure communication, enabling mutual authentication without revealing identities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If computers transmit public keys and authentication data over networks, then communication and authentication can be established, but attackers can intercept this data and conduct man-in-the-middle attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the authentication process into multiple independent steps: generating ephemeral key pairs, creating blinded public keys, establishing shared secrets, and exchanging authentication data. This segmentation ensures that interception of any single component does not compromise the entire authentication process, as each step contributes to the overall security through modular verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-generating static key pairs and storing them securely in each computer before communication begins. These static keys are used to derive ephemeral keys and establish shared secrets in advance, ensuring that authentication credentials are prepared and verified before actual data transmission, preventing attackers from intercepting critical authentication information.
2Productivity
If computers use static key pairs for authentication, then authentication can be performed efficiently, but the same keys are repeatedly used which may compromise security
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by generating ephemeral key pairs for each communication session using the static key pairs as seeds. This dynamic key generation ensures that while the static keys provide consistent authentication identity, the ephemeral keys change with each session, preventing replay attacks and key compromise while maintaining efficient authentication through the reusable static key structure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If computers do not previously store each other's digital certificates, then system setup is simpler, but secure communication cannot be established a priori
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses blinded public keys as an intermediary mechanism that allows computers to establish trust without pre-stored certificates. The blinding process creates a cryptographic mediator that enables mutual authentication through shared secret derivation, allowing flexible system setup without centralized certificate authorities while maintaining reliable trust establishment through cryptographic verification of exchanged credentials.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods for confidential mutual authentication. A first computer may blind its public key using a blinding factor. The first computer may generate a shared secret using its private key, the blinding factor, and a public key of a second computer. The first computer may encrypt the blinding factor and a certificate including its public key using the shared secret. The first computer may send its blinded public key, the encrypted blinding factor, and the encrypted certificate to the second computer. The second computer may generate the same shared secret using its private key and the blinded public key of the first computer. The second computer may authenticate the first computer by verifying its blinded public key using the blinding factor and the certificate of the first computer. The first computer authenticates the second computer similarly.