US5647000A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Failsafe key escrow system
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1996-09-03
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Granted: 1997-07-08
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Expires: 2016-09-03
Abstract
Abstract A method of generating cryptographic keys to implement a Failsafe Key Escrow system. A prime modulus Q and a generator G for Z Q are publicly known. The public key P X that is escrowed for user X is G SX mod Q, where Sx is the secret key for user X. The user picks a random secret value A from [0, Q-2] and announces the value of G A mod Q to a set of trustees or a central authority. Next the user "shares" A with the trustees using a verifiable secret sharing scheme. The trustees and/or the central authority selects a random value B from the interval [0, Q-2] and they set the user's public key to be P X =(G A )G B mod Q. The value of B is returned to the user and is escrowed with the public key for X. The value of B is not released to the public. The user's then sets his secret key to be S X =A+B mod (Q-1).
Inventors
- 👤 Frank Thomsen Leighton
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 10:56
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04L; H04L9/00; H04L9/08; H04L9/0894; H04L9/0816; H04L9/085
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
A method of generating cryptographic keys for use in securing communications among users in a cryptosystem having an authority and a plurality of trustees, where trustees must cooperate in a predetermined manner to reveal a secret key, comprising the steps of: for each user, verifiably secret sharing a first seed value with the plurality of trustees, the first seed value alone being insufficient to reveal a secret key even if the trustees cooperate; and for each user, generating a secret key by computing a given function of the first seed value associated with that user and a second seed value generated by the authority, wherein neither the user nor the authority can derive the given function from just their respective seed values.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
122 words
A method of generating cryptographic keys for use in securing communications among users in a cryptosystem having an authority and a plurality of trustees, where trustees must cooperate in a predetermined manner to reveal a secret key, comprising the steps of: for each user, verifiably secret sharing a first seed value with the plurality of trustees, the first seed value alone being insufficient to reveal a secret key even if the trustees cooperate; and for each user, generating a secret key by computing a given function of the first seed value associated with that user and a second seed value generated by the authority, wherein neither the user nor the authority can derive the given function from just their respective seed values.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method as described in claim 1 further including the step of: for each user, computing a public key from information derived from the first seed value associated with the user.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method as described in claim 2 further including the step of: escrowing the public key for each user.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method as described in claim 1 wherein the first seed value is selected at random by each user.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as described in claim 4 wherein the first seed value is selected at random by each user prior to generation of the second seed value by the authority.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
185 words
In a cryptosystem having a plurality of users, one or more trustees and a central authority, where the one or more trustees and the authority cooperate under predetermined circumstances to reveal a secret key, an improved method for generating and using cryptographic keys, comprising the unordered steps of: for each user, generating a first seed value, shares of which are provided to the trustees so that the first seed value can be reconstructed if the trustees reveal their shares; having the authority generate a second seed value; and for each user, generating a secret key by computing a given function of the first seed value and the second seed value generated by the authority, wherein the given function cannot be derived from just the first seed value or from just the second seed value; for each user, generating a public key for the secret key; encrypting at least one message using a key derived according to a publicly-known process from the public key; and having the authority and the trustees cooperate under a predetermined circumstance to reconstruct the secret key to thereby decrypt the message.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
185 words
In a cryptosystem having a plurality of users, one or more trustees and a central authority, where the one or more trustees and the authority cooperate under predetermined circumstances to reveal a secret key, an improved method for generating and using cryptographic keys, comprising the unordered steps of: for each user, generating a first seed value, shares of which are provided to the trustees so that the first seed value can be reconstructed if the trustees reveal their shares; having the authority generate a second seed value; and for each user, generating a secret key by computing a given function of the first seed value and the second seed value generated by the authority, wherein the given function cannot be derived from just the first seed value or from just the second seed value; for each user, generating a public key for the secret key; encrypting at least one message using a key derived according to a publicly-known process from the public key; and having the authority and the trustees cooperate under a predetermined circumstance to reconstruct the secret key to thereby decrypt the message.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
136 words
A method of securing communications among users in a cryptosystem having a plurality of trustees, comprising the unordered steps of: for each user, verifiably secret sharing a first seed value with the plurality of trustees; for each user, generating a secret key by computing a given function of the first seed value associated with that user and a second seed value, wherein the user cannot derive the given function from just the first seed value; for each user, escrowing a public key associated with that user; upon a predetermined occurrence, having a sufficient number of trustees cooperate to reveal the first seed value associated with a suspect user to enable reconstruction of that user's secret key; and having the authority use the reconstructed secret key and the public key of the suspect user to monitor communications.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
136 words
A method of securing communications among users in a cryptosystem having a plurality of trustees, comprising the unordered steps of: for each user, verifiably secret sharing a first seed value with the plurality of trustees; for each user, generating a secret key by computing a given function of the first seed value associated with that user and a second seed value, wherein the user cannot derive the given function from just the first seed value; for each user, escrowing a public key associated with that user; upon a predetermined occurrence, having a sufficient number of trustees cooperate to reveal the first seed value associated with a suspect user to enable reconstruction of that user's secret key; and having the authority use the reconstructed secret key and the public key of the suspect user to monitor communications.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as described in claim 7 wherein the first seed value is alone insufficient to enable the plurality of trustees to construct a secret key useful in monitoring communications.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method as described in claim 7 wherein the public key for each user is computed from information derived from that user's first seed value.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method as described in claim 9 wherein the information is an encoded version of the user's first seed value.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-07-07 | 2001-01-06 | 2001-07-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-07-07 | 2005-01-06 | 2005-07-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-07-07 | 2009-01-06 | 2009-07-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |