Secure Credential Provisioning via Diffie-Hellman Tunnel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current authentication methods in wireless communications rely on manual configuration or external tools for distributing pre-shared secrets or certificates, making them vulnerable to attacks and costly, especially for wireless networks.
Innovation Solution
A secure tunnel is established between parties using encryption, specifically through a Diffie-Hellman key exchange, allowing for mutual authentication and credential provisioning without the need for manual configuration or external validation, thereby protecting against passive and active attacks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If symmetric cryptography with pre-shared secrets is used for authentication, then authentication can be established between parties, but the system becomes vulnerable to dictionary attacks and requires manual configuration which is burdensome
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic credential provisioning where the authentication server autonomously generates and distributes credentials to clients without requiring manual configuration. The server self-manages the credential lifecycle including generation, distribution, and revocation, eliminating the burden of external tools and manual setup while maintaining security through cryptographic protocols
Solution Approach 2:
An authentication server acts as an intermediary between clients and the network, managing credential distribution centrally. This mediator automatically handles the complex tasks of credential generation, secure distribution, and validation, freeing individual parties from manual configuration while ensuring consistent security policies are applied
2Reliability
If asymmetric cryptography with PKI is used for authentication, then higher security level is achieved without requiring shared secrets, but the implementation cost becomes prohibitively expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses ephemeral credentials that are generated on-demand and have limited validity periods. These temporary credentials are computationally less intensive than full PKI certificates, providing adequate security for the duration needed while significantly reducing implementation and maintenance costs. The credentials are discarded after use or expiration, eliminating long-term storage and management overhead
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication server dynamically adjusts credential parameters such as validity period, scope, and strength based on the specific authentication context. This allows the system to provide strong authentication when needed while using lighter-weight credentials for less critical scenarios, optimizing the balance between security and cost without requiring full PKI infrastructure
3Loss of information
If manual configuration of credentials is used, then authentication information can be distributed, but the process is time-consuming and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication server pre-generates credential templates and security policies before authentication requests arrive. When a client needs credentials, the server rapidly instantiates them from these pre-prepared templates, dramatically reducing the time required for credential distribution while ensuring consistency and accuracy through the predetermined templates
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables on-demand automatic credential provisioning where clients can obtain credentials instantly through automated requests to the authentication server. The server autonomously handles credential generation, validation, and distribution without human intervention, eliminating manual configuration time and reducing errors while ensuring complete credential information is provided
Data Source
AI summary
A method and implementation is disclosed for secure communication between two or more parties. A secure tunnel is established between parties using an encryption algorithm. An authentication process is performed between parties over the secured tunnel. The provisioning of credentials is thereafter performed between parties.