Noisy Secret Key Sub-Keys for Secure Communications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current secure communication systems fail to effectively address issues associated with noisy secrets, where small differences in the negotiated secret between sender and receiver lead to message loss due to noisy keys, preventing decryption.
Innovation Solution
The system selects multiple sub-keys from a negotiated noisy secret to encrypt a message key, ensuring at least one sub-key is noiseless, allowing message transmission without initially fixing the noisy secret, and uses message authentication codes for verification to validate sub-key validity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single secret key is used for secure communication, then encryption security is maintained, but message loss occurs when the negotiated secret is noisy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single secret key into multiple sub-keys derived from different portions of the negotiated secret. Instead of relying on one complete secret key, the system divides the key material into multiple segments (sub-keys), each of which can independently encrypt the message. This segmentation allows the receiver to successfully decrypt the message using any one of the sub-keys, thereby eliminating message loss even when the negotiated secret contains noise or discrepancies.
2Reliability
If multiple sub-keys are sent to increase decryption probability, then message delivery reliability improves, but communication protocol complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-computing and sending multiple encrypted versions of the message (or message authentication codes) using different sub-keys before the actual communication needs occur. The receiver can then independently verify which sub-key works without requiring complex interactive negotiation. This preliminary preparation of multiple encryption options simplifies the overall protocol by eliminating the need for complex key negotiation and verification procedures during actual message exchange.
3Adaptability or versatility
If offline receivers are supported without pre-fixing noisy secret, then communication flexibility improves, but key validation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces message authentication codes (MACs) as an intermediary mechanism that mediates between the sender and receiver without requiring direct key negotiation or pre-fixing of the noisy secret. The sender computes MACs using different sub-keys, and the receiver independently validates these MACs to determine which sub-key is noiseless. This intermediary MAC verification system enables offline receivers to successfully communicate without requiring pre-synchronization of the secret, while keeping the validation process relatively simple through independent MAC checking.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for implementing zero round trip secure communications based on a noisy secret. In operation, a sender system utilizes a randomly generated message key for encrypting a message to send to a receiver system. The sender system selects a plurality of different sub-keys from a negotiated noisy secret to encrypt the randomly generated message key. The sender system encrypts the message utilizing the randomly generated message key. The sender system sends the encrypted message, all encrypted message keys, and a message MAC that is calculated and added for every sub-key, to the receiver system such that the receiver system is able to perform a MAC-based verification to test sub-key validity of the plurality of different sub-keys.