Hub-Based Key Negotiation for Cloud-Secure Home Device Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Home devices lacking key negotiation capabilities, particularly non-sensitive devices, expose information transmission to security risks and cloud tampering, compromising user control accuracy and experience.

Innovation Solution

A hub device performs key negotiation on behalf of non-sensitive devices, generating shared keys with external devices to encrypt information, ensuring the cloud cannot learn or tamper with control commands.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional key negotiation methods are used, then implementation is simple, but security is insufficient and keys can be stolen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvekey securityVSAvoidnegotiation protocol complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a key negotiation protocol that acts as an intermediary mechanism between communication parties. This protocol mediates the key exchange process by coordinating multiple cryptographic operations (diffie-hellman key exchange, challenge-response authentication, key derivation) to achieve secure key negotiation without requiring direct trust between parties, thus resolving the security issue while maintaining manageable complexity through structured interaction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If key negotiation is performed frequently, then security is improved, but communication overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvekey securityVSAvoidcommunication overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary actions by establishing a secure channel and pre-computing cryptographic parameters during an initial key negotiation phase. Once the secure channel is established, subsequent communications can reuse the derived keys and authentication mechanisms, avoiding the need to repeat the full key negotiation protocol for every message, thus reducing communication overhead while maintaining security

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the outcome of key negotiation is confirmed through challenge-response authentication. The receiving party provides feedback by responding to challenges with cryptographic proofs, allowing the sending party to verify successful key exchange before proceeding with data transmission, thereby ensuring security without unnecessary repeated negotiation cycles

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4258627B1Key negotiation method and related device therefor
Publication Date: 2026.05.13 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4258627B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4258627B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP4258627B1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

This application provides a key negotiation method and a related device thereof. The method includes: A first hub device generates public key information and private key information of a first electronic device, and the first electronic device accesses a network by using the first hub device; the first hub device reports a first mode of the first electronic device to a cloud device; and the first hub device obtains public key information of a second electronic device, and the first hub device performs key negotiation with the second electronic device based on the private key information of the first electronic device and the public key information of the second electronic device, to generate a first shared key. A HiChain-related component cannot be integrated on the first electronic device. According to the method provided in this application, in a process in which the first electronic device transmits information to the second electronic device by using a hub device, the shared key is used to encrypt the information, so that the cloud device can be prevented from obtaining and tampering with the information, to improve information transmission security.