Multi-Channel Repair Symbol Encryption for Secure Data Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for transmitting digital data over channels fail to provide both effective error correction and strong cryptographic protection, as error correction codes do not inherently offer security against attackers.
Innovation Solution
A method that generates an error correction code with repair symbols and identifiers, where each repair symbol is encrypted using a shared secret and pseudo-random function dependent on its identifier, and transmitted over multiple independent channels, ensuring strong encryption and error correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If error correction codes are used to reconstruct original data in case of data losses, then data reliability is improved, but cryptographic protection against attackers is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The error correction code is segmented into multiple repair symbols, each encrypted independently with a unique identifier. This segmentation allows the system to maintain error correction functionality while enhancing security, as each segment can be individually protected without compromising the overall code structure
Solution Approach 2:
Each repair symbol is encrypted with a locally unique identifier that distinguishes it from other repair symbols. This local quality approach ensures that even if an attacker intercepts multiple repair symbols, they cannot be recombined or substituted without detection, as each symbol's cryptographic protection is tailored to its specific identity
2Object-affected harmful factors
If repair symbols are encrypted using only a shared secret, then cryptographic protection is provided, but the encryption strength is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption scheme introduces asymmetry by combining a shared secret with unique identifiers for each repair symbol. This creates an asymmetric cryptographic structure where the same shared secret produces different encrypted outputs for different symbols, significantly strengthening the encryption against attacks while maintaining the ability to decrypt using the same secret
Solution Approach 2:
The encryption process dynamically changes parameters by incorporating the unique identifier of each repair symbol into the encryption function. This parameter change ensures that the cryptographic strength is enhanced for each symbol individually, making the overall system more resistant to cryptographic attacks while preserving error correction capabilities
3Reliability
If digital data is transmitted over multiple channels, then error correction capability is improved, but security against attackers listening to single channel is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitted data is segmented into multiple repair symbols distributed across different channels, with each symbol carrying a unique identifier. This segmentation ensures that eavesdropping on a single channel does not compromise the entire data set, as each channel contains only a portion of the encrypted repair symbols
Solution Approach 2:
The unique identifier acts as an intermediary element that links each repair symbol to its specific encrypted form. This intermediary ensures that even if an attacker intercepts repair symbols from multiple channels, they cannot be properly recombined without the corresponding identifiers, thus maintaining security while enabling error correction across multiple channels
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention refers to a method for sending digital data over a number of channels (CH1, CH2, CH3) wherein a sender (A) performs the following steps: - encoding (COD) source data (SD) having a first number of source symbols (SYi), the encoding (COD) being such that an error correction code (EC) is generated from the source data (SD), the error correction code (EC) comprising a second number of repair symbols (RSj) higher than the first number as well as identifiers (IDj) where each identifier (IDj) is assigned to a corresponding repair symbol (RSj), the error correction code (EC) adding redundancy to the source data (SD); - encrypting each repair symbol (RSj) by an encryption process (CRY) which is based on a shared secret (e) between the sender (A) and a receiver (B), where the encryption process (CRY) for a respective repair symbol (RSj) depends on the identifier (IDj) assigned to the respective repair symbol (RSj); - feeding pairs of the encrypted repair symbols (RSj') and the assigned identifiers (IDj) to the number of channels (CH1, CH2, CH3) which are connected to the receiver (B).