Secure Content Transfer via Insecure Channel Using Shared Secret
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital content transfer systems face challenges in establishing trust between parties and ensuring secure communication, particularly when using insecure channels for transactions, as they require secure means for transmitting payment and content information without relying on secure channels for verification.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows electronic content to be transferred over an insecure channel while ensuring secure payment verification through a separate secure channel, where the content server encrypts and decrypts content using a shared secret, ensuring the user's identity and payment are verified before content usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If content and payment information are transmitted over the same channel, then simplification of the system is achieved, but security of transmission is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the transmission channel into two separate channels: an insecure channel for content transfer and a secure channel for payment information transmission. This segmentation allows each channel to be optimized for its specific function, with the secure channel protecting payment data while the insecure channel handles content delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a payment server as an intermediary between the content server and the client. This intermediary handles secure payment processing through a dedicated secure channel, while the content server communicates with the client over an insecure channel. The intermediary isolates security concerns from the content delivery mechanism.
2Reliability
If SSL protocol is used for secure payment transmission, then payment security is improved, but requirement for certificate verification increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the certificate verification requirement from the payment transmission process. Instead of requiring clients to verify SSL certificates, the system uses a simpler secure channel mechanism where payment information is transmitted securely without complex verification procedures, reducing client-side complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs temporary session keys and dynamic encryption parameters that are generated for each transaction session and discarded afterward. This approach provides secure payment transmission without requiring long-term certificate verification, using disposable cryptographic elements that simplify the overall system.
3Reliability
If secret key cryptography is used for content encryption, then transmission security is improved, but requirement for prior communication of secret keys increases complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary key establishment through a secure channel before content transmission begins. The shared secret is exchanged and verified in advance over the secure payment channel, allowing subsequent content encryption to use this pre-established key without requiring continuous key communication during the actual content transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The payment server acts as an intermediary that facilitates secure key exchange between the content server and client. The shared secret is transmitted through the secure channel via the payment server, which verifies the key's authenticity and integrity before releasing it for content encryption, eliminating the need for direct key communication between clients and servers.
4Reliability
If public/private key cryptography with certificate verification is used, then authentication security is improved, but requirement for intermediary channels increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the certificate verification step from the authentication process. Instead of requiring clients to verify digital certificates through complex intermediary channels, the system uses a simplified secure channel mechanism where authentication is handled by the payment server, eliminating the need for client-side certificate verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses temporary session identifiers and short-lived encryption keys that are generated for each transaction session. These disposable cryptographic elements provide sufficient authentication security without requiring complex certificate-based verification, reducing the system's dependency on intermediary certification authorities.
Data Source
AI summary
The present teachings provide for a method and system for facilitating content download to one or more remote devices via an insecure communication channel. The method comprises the steps of receiving at least one shared secret from a device via an insecure communications channel, each shared secret encoded and functioning as an identifier for the device, transmitting an encrypted file, from a file server, to the device associated with the encoded shared secret, receiving the shared secret in a plaintext forma via a secure communications channel, receiving a confirmation authorizing the release of a decryption key, and sending a decryption key corresponding to the transmitted file, for which the authorization for the release of the decryption key has been received. The decryption key is encrypted using the shared secret if transmission is via the insecure channel.