One-Time Pad Generation via ACORN Pseudo-Random Sequences
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Solution Overview
Problem
The practical use of one-time pads in encryption is limited due to the need for 'true' randomness and the requirement to share keys as large as the message, restricting their application to narrow fields like diplomatic and military communications.
Innovation Solution
A method to generate pseudo-random sequences using a simple and fast algorithm, allowing for the creation of a family of one-time pads that can be easily distributed and shared, utilizing a computer-implemented process involving modular arithmetic and the ACORN generator to produce pseudorandom numbers for encryption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If truly random one-time pads are used for encryption, then cryptographic security is improved, but key distribution complexity and storage requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a pseudo-random number generator to create a copy of the one-time pad sequence that can be reproduced from a small seed. Instead of distributing the full random pad, both parties use the same algorithm and seed to generate identical keystreams, eliminating the need for physical key distribution while maintaining cryptographic security through the unpredictability of the pseudo-random sequence
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential initialization parameters (seed and algorithm) from the complete one-time pad, separating the critical security element (the small seed) from the full keystream. This allows the keystream to be generated locally without transmitting or storing the entire pad, reducing key distribution complexity while preserving security
2Reliability
If truly random one-time pads are used for encryption, then cryptographic security is improved, but key storage requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system generates a copy of the one-time pad sequence through deterministic computation from a small seed rather than storing the actual full-length random pad. The pseudo-random number generator produces an arbitrarily long keystream that behaves statistically like true random noise, eliminating the need for large key storage while maintaining cryptographic security
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the state of the key from a static, pre-generated random sequence to a dynamically generated pseudo-random sequence controlled by a small seed parameter. This parameter transformation reduces storage requirements from the full pad length to just the seed length, while the generated sequence maintains the statistical properties needed for secure encryption
3Ease of operation
If pseudo-random algorithms are used to generate one-time pads, then key distribution ease is improved, but algorithm complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a pseudo-random number generator that creates reproducible keystreams from a small seed, allowing easy distribution of the seed rather than the full key. This copying approach simplifies key distribution operations while the underlying algorithm maintains cryptographic security through its deterministic yet unpredictable nature
Solution Approach 2:
The pseudo-random number generator acts as an intermediary between the simple seed and the required one-time pad keystream. This mediator transforms the small, easily distributable seed into the full-length encryption key through a complex but deterministic process, balancing ease of distribution with cryptographic security
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method of generating a one-time pad for use in encryption, the method comprising: determining a seed sequence and an ordered set of initial values; and for each initial value, computing a sequence of terms, wherein each term of the sequence is computed by combining at least one other term of that sequence with at least one term of a previous one of the sequences using modular arithmetic, the previous sequence being the sequence generated for the previous initial value or, in the case of the first initial value, the seed sequence. Rather than using the final sequence as a direct basis for the one-time pad, one or more additional steps are taken to disrupt the final sequence, in order to improve the security of the method and the resulting one-time pad.