Inter-station Key Establishment for Neighboring Terminals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication network protocols lack a mechanism for secret communication between neighboring user terminals without encryption switching equipment, leading to increased network load due to the need for identity authentication between each pair of terminals.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilizes a shared encryption switching equipment to establish an inter-station key between neighboring user terminals, allowing them to perform secret communication directly, thereby reducing the need for identity authentication and network load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If identity authentication is performed between every two neighboring user terminals to establish a shared key, then secret communication between user terminals is achieved, but network load increases due to the authentication process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication mechanism where a shared key is established between user terminals and the authentication server, which then mediates the key distribution to neighboring terminals. This eliminates the need for direct pairwise authentication between all terminal pairs, thereby reducing network load while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication server pre-establishes shared keys with user terminals before actual communication occurs. When neighboring terminals need to communicate secretly, they can directly use these pre-established keys without performing real-time authentication, thus reducing network load during communication phases.
2Reliability
If hop-by-hop encryption is implemented with encryption switching equipment between terminals, then data transmission security is improved, but it cannot be applied to neighboring user terminals that do not go through encryption switching equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal secret communication mechanism that works for both terminals communicating through encryption switching equipment and neighboring terminals that communicate directly. By establishing shared keys through the authentication server, the system provides consistent security functionality across different communication scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication server acts as an intermediary that enables neighboring terminals to establish secure communication directly without requiring physical encryption switching equipment between them. The server mediates the key distribution, allowing direct encrypted communication between neighbors while maintaining the same security level as hop-by-hop encryption.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The present invention provides a secret communication method, apparatus and system. The method comprises: 1) determining a neighboring encryption switching equipment shared by a first user terminal and a second user terminal, wherein the first user terminal and the second user terminal are neighboring user terminals (1); 2) establishing, by the neighboring encryption switching equipment, an inter-station key for communication between the first user terminal and the second terminal (2); 3) performing data secret communication between the first user terminal and the second terminal by using the inter-station key (3). With the present invention, the neighboring user terminals needing to perform the secret communication can establish the inter-station key without performing identity authentication with each other, and can perform the secret communication with the inter-station key, and thereby the network load is reduced.