Distance-Based Encryption Key Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cryptographic methods for secure communication, particularly public-key and symmetric encryption, face challenges in ensuring key security and distribution, with public-key methods' security unproven and symmetric encryption relying on secure key distribution that is difficult to establish.
Innovation Solution
Generating secret encryption keys based on the distance between two computing devices, using a method that involves determining the distance, compressing the key, and applying a universal hash function to create a smaller, identical key on both devices, ensuring security and randomness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If public-key cryptography is used for secure communication, then key distribution is simplified, but security cannot be mathematically proven and may be vulnerable to increased computational power
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces physical distance as an intermediary element that mediates key generation between two parties. Instead of relying solely on computational assumptions, the system uses the physical parameter of distance (measured through signal propagation) as a shared secret source, combining computational methods with physical reality to enhance security while maintaining ease of key distribution
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter from which security is derived - moving from purely computational parameters (mathematical problem hardness) to a hybrid of computational and physical parameters (distance measurements). By using distance as a seed for key generation, the system transforms an abstract computational security model into one grounded in physical reality, making it resistant to computational power increases
2Reliability
If symmetric encryption is used for secure communication, then security can be mathematically proven, but secure key distribution becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the two parties to self-generate their own shared secret keys independently using their respective distance measurements to a common reference point. Each party computes the key locally without needing to exchange secret information or rely on a third-party key distribution center, thus achieving secure symmetric encryption keys while eliminating the key distribution problem
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a spatial dimension to key generation by using physical distance measurements. Instead of exchanging keys through communication channels, the system uses the spatial parameter of distance (a different dimension from information exchange) as the basis for generating shared secrets, thereby bypassing the key distribution bottleneck
3Reliability
If encryption keys are generated based on distance measurements, then security and randomness are enhanced, but key compression and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential element needed for key generation from the distance measurement process - the scalar distance value itself. By focusing on this single extracted parameter and using it as a seed for deterministic key generation, the system avoids the complexity of processing entire distance measurement datasets while maintaining security and randomness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary processing of distance measurements by normalizing and standardizing them before use in key generation. By pre-processing the distance data into a consistent format, the system reduces the complexity of subsequent key derivation operations and ensures that the key generation process is efficient and deterministic
Data Source
AI summary
A method of generating an encryption key including determining, by a processor, a distance between a first node and a second node, and generating, by the processor, a first encryption key based on the distance between the first node and the second node. The method also includes compressing, by the processor, the first encryption key to generate a compressed encryption key; and applying, by the processor, a universal hash function to the compressed encryption key to generate a second encryption key. The second encryption key is smaller than the first encryption key.