Time-Based Hash Authentication for Satellite Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing communication infrastructure, including conventional wire and fiber landlines, cellular networks, and geostationary satellite systems, is insufficient to meet the growing demand for communication access, and some areas lack connectivity to the global network, necessitating innovative solutions for authentication and communication in satellite and high-altitude platform systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a hash function to authenticate communication connections by associating authentication values with time intervals, ensuring that commitment values match authentication values for secure communication, particularly in satellite and high-altitude platform networks, thereby establishing secure and reliable connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional communication infrastructure (wire and fiber landlines, cellular networks, geostationary satellite systems) is used to meet growing demand for communication access, then existing infrastructure capacity is increased, but the infrastructure is still not large enough to accommodate the increase in demand and some areas remain unconnected
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments authentication into time-based intervals with unique commitment values for each interval. This allows the same infrastructure to serve multiple authentication purposes simultaneously, increasing adaptability without requiring additional physical infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
Commitment values are generated in advance for future time intervals and stored in a database. This preliminary preparation enables rapid authentication when communication access is needed, improving the system's ability to handle demand spikes without infrastructure expansion.
2Reliability
If authentication mechanisms are implemented in satellite and high-altitude platform systems, then security against spoofing is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A database acts as an intermediary between the transmitter and receiver, storing commitment values generated in advance. This intermediary simplifies the authentication process by providing a centralized repository that both parties can query, reducing the complexity of direct peer-to-peer authentication mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses hash functions to create commitment values that are cryptographic copies of secret keys. These copies can be transmitted and verified without exposing the original secret, providing security while keeping the system relatively simple through well-established cryptographic techniques.
3Reliability
If time-based authentication with hash functions is used to prevent spoofing, then authentication reliability is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Commitment values for future time intervals are generated and stored in advance in a database. When authentication is needed, the system simply queries the pre-computed value rather than performing complex hash computations in real-time, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining cryptographic security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines time synchronization with cryptographic authentication by using time intervals as indices into the pre-computed commitment values. This merging of temporal and cryptographic elements streamlines the authentication process into a single efficient operation.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A method of authenticating a source of a communication (20) includes executing a clock (990) for an operation period (510), and receiving a communication (20) from a remote device (110, 300) at a communication time corresponding to a time interval (520) of a plurality of time intervals sequentially covering the operation period. Each time interval has an associated authentication value (B). The communication includes a commitment value (C). The method includes determining whether the commitment value matches the authentication value associated with the time interval corresponding to the communication time. The method includes processing the communication when the commitment value matches the authentication value associated with the time interval corresponding to the communication time. The authentication value associated with the time interval corresponding to the communication time includes a hash digest (660) of a hash function (640) applied to the authentication value associated with a sequentially subsequent time interval.