Identity-Based Encryption for Network Routing Confidentiality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network communication systems face inefficiencies and high key management costs due to the need for significant encryption and decryption key management in onion encryption schemes, especially as data packets grow in size.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an identity-based encryption scheme that encrypts the identity of each node in the routing path, allowing each node to decrypt only necessary information for forwarding the communication, thereby reducing the need for extensive key management and minimizing encryption/decryption burdens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If onion encryption scheme is used to provide confidentiality, then message contents and routing are protected, but key management complexity and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the key management burden from the onion encryption scheme by using identity-based encryption. Instead of requiring each node to manage multiple decryption keys, the system extracts only the essential routing information needed for forwardi
2Reliability
If onion encryption scheme is used to encrypt entire data packet multiple times, then confidentiality is provided, but system efficiency decreases due to additional processing burdens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary routing information from the encrypted data packet at each node, rather than requiring full decryption of the entire packet. This selective extraction of routing metadata significantly reduces processing time and computational overhead while maintaining confidentiality of the message contents
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of fully decrypting the entire data packet at each node in the chain, the system performs partial decryption only on the routing information portion. This partial action approach maintains security while dramatically improving processing efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for providing confidentiality of communications sent via a network that is efficient, easy to implement, and does not require significant key management. The identity of each node of the routing path of a communication is encrypted utilizing an identity-based encryption scheme. This allows each node of the routing path to decrypt only those portions of the routing path necessary to send the communication to the next node. Thus, each node will only know the immediate previous node from which the communication came, and the next node to which the communication is to be sent. The remainder of the routing path of the communication, along with the original sender and intended recipient, remain confidential from any intermediate nodes in the routing path. Use of the identity-based encryption scheme removes the need for significant key management to maintain the encryption/decryption keys.