Secure Blockchain Multicast With Public-Key Session Key Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional IP multicast in blockchain networks requires multiple security associations, increasing network complexity and conflicting with the decentralization principle, while centralized key servers complicate management and are not applicable.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for secure multicast in blockchain networks using public-key cryptography to distribute security group session keys, enabling secure communication without a centralized key server by encrypting and decrypting messages with public and private keys, respectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional IP multicast establishes separate security associations with each branch station, then secure communication is achieved, but network complexity and maintenance difficulty greatly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual security associations into a single group security association. Instead of establishing separate SAs between the central station and each branch station, the invention creates one group SA that covers all branch stations in the multicast group, thereby reducing network complexity while maintaining secure communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The group security association serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides security for communication with all branch stations in the multicast group, eliminates the need for multiple individual SAs, and works seamlessly with the blockchain-based key distribution mechanism to enable secure multicast without centralized key management.
2Ease of operation
If a key server is introduced to distribute keys for secure multicast, then key management is simplified, but architecture complexity and management difficulty increase, and it conflicts with blockchain decentralization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service key distribution using blockchain technology. Each node in the network can independently obtain the group security association and encryption keys directly from the blockchain ledger without requiring a centralized key server. The blockchain's distributed consensus mechanism enables nodes to autonomously verify and use the shared secret for secure communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The blockchain ledger serves as a decentralized intermediary that facilitates key distribution. Instead of a traditional centralized key server, the blockchain stores and distributes the group security association and encryption keys in a trustless, distributed manner, allowing nodes to obtain cryptographic material without direct peer-to-peer key exchange or centralized management.
3Reliability
If multiple security associations are established for one-to-many transmission, then secure communication with each node is ensured, but maintenance difficulty greatly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual security associations into a single group security association that covers all recipients in the multicast group. This single SA includes a shared secret that all nodes use for encryption and decryption, eliminating the need to manage multiple separate SAs and significantly reducing maintenance difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The group security association is designed to be universal for all nodes in the multicast group. It provides secure communication capabilities for every participant simultaneously, allowing the same cryptographic material to be used across multiple communication channels without requiring separate maintenance for each node.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and an apparatus for implementing secure multicast in a blockchain network. The method includes: a first blockchain node generates and sends a security group creation message including a security group information structure corresponding to each target blockchain node to be added to a multicast security group, each security group information structure including a public key of a corresponding target blockchain node and ciphertext security group information obtained by encrypting plaintext security group information by using the public key, the plaintext security group information including a security group session key; and a second blockchain node searches, after receiving the security group creation message, the security group creation message for a security group information structure that includes a public key of the second blockchain node, and decrypts ciphertext security group information in the identified security group information structure to obtain the security group session key.