System and method for establishing a shared secret among nodes of a security appliance
US7958356B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 29, 2006 |
| Grant date | Jun 7, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 26, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L9/0841
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method securely establishes a shared secret among nodes of a security appliance. The shared secret is established by distributing private keys among the nodes in accordance with a node ring protocol that uses a predetermined encryption algorithm to generate messages containing the keys. Briefly, each node is initially notified as to the number of nodes participating in the shared secret establishment. Each node generates a public-private key-pair, as well as a first message that includes the generated public key and an indication of the source of the generated public key (hereinafter “source generated public key”). The node then sends the first message to an adjacent node of the appliance. Upon receiving the first message, each node extracts the source generated public key from the message and stores the extracted information into a data structure of “partner” public keys. The protocol then continues with each node generating additional messages equal to the number of participating nodes minus one. At that point, each node combines its private key with its partner public keys stored in the data structure to generate a value that is common among all of the participating…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.