Implicit Certificate Security Against Chaining Attacks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Cryptography systems using explicit certificates are vulnerable to chaining attacks, which allow adversaries to forge implicit certificates and signatures, compromising the security of public key infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
Implementing countermeasures such as modified public key-generating algorithms and hash functions in implicit certificate schemes, like ECQV, to thwart chaining attacks by reconstructing public keys without explicit representation, using a chain of implicit certificates and secure hash functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If explicit certificates are used in cryptography systems, then the system provides secure communication, but the system becomes vulnerable to chaining attacks that allow forging of implicit certificates and signatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the public key from the explicit certificate structure and reconstructs it implicitly using a mathematical formula involving the certificate authority's public key, the subject's identifier, and a random value. This extraction eliminates the direct representation of the public key in the certificate, making chaining attacks ineffective while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary reconstruction formula that mediates between the certificate authority's public key and the subject's public key. This intermediary structure allows the public key to be derived without being explicitly stored in the certificate, creating a security barrier against chaining attacks while preserving the ability to verify signatures.
2Reliability
If implicit certificates are used to avoid explicit public key representation, then chaining attacks are thwarted, but the system complexity increases due to modified public key-generating algorithms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of the certificate structure by replacing the explicit public key field with a set of parameters (certificate authority's public key, subject's identifier, and random value) that can be used to reconstruct the public key mathematically. This parameter transformation reduces the certificate size and eliminates chaining attack vulnerabilities while the increased algorithmic complexity is confined to key generation operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer programs for using an implicit certificate are disclosed. In some aspects, a message and an implicit certificate are accessed. The implicit certificate is associated with an entity. A modified message is generated by combining the message with a value based on the implicit certificate. A digital signature can be generated based on the modified message and transmitted to a recipient. In some aspects, a digital signature from an entity and a message to be verified based on the digital signature are accessed. An implicit certificate associated with the entity is accessed. A modified message is generated by combining the message with a value based on the implicit certificate. The message is verified based on the digital signature and the modified message.