Extensible system for authenticated and protected key agreement in large mesh layer 2 ethernet networks
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorsMichelle D. Coyle, Steven C. Gerhold
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A large-scale Ethernet mesh network is provided, which includes a group connectivity association (CA) including at least thirty-one authenticated supplicant nodes. An authenticator module authenticates each of the authenticated supplicant nodes, and distributes a shared group encryption key to each of the authenticated supplicant nodes. Each of the authenticated supplicant nodes encrypt data using the shared group encryption key, and exchange the encrypted data with any other remaining authenticated supplicant node.
Claims16
A large-scale Ethernet mesh network comprising:
- at least thirty-one authenticated supplicant nodes interconnected in the large-scale Ethernet mesh network;
- a group connectivity association (CA) including said at least thirty-one authenticated supplicant nodes;
- an authenticator module configured to authenticate each of the authenticated supplicant nodes, and to distribute a shared group encryption key to each of the authenticated supplicant nodes;
- wherein each of the authenticated supplicant nodes is configured to encrypt data using the shared group encryption key, and to exchange the encrypted data with any other remaining authenticated supplicant node;
- wherein the authenticator module includes a sender state machine circuit and each authenticated supplicant node includes a receiver state machine circuit, wherein the sender state machine circuit sequentially stores each received shared group encryption key in a sender storage area of the authenticator module, and wherein the receiver state machine circuit sequentially stores each received shared group encryption key in a receiver storage area of the authenticated supplicant node;
- and
- wherein each of the sender state machine circuit and the receiver state machine circuit transitions from a first received shared group encryption key to a second received shared encryption group key according to a time interval.
A method of exchanging secured data in a large-scale Ethernet mesh network, the method comprising:
- authenticating, via an authenticator module, at least thirty-one supplicant nodes to establish a group connectivity association (CA) in the a large-scale Ethernet mesh network;
- distributing, via the authenticator module, a shared group encryption key to each of the authenticated supplicant nodes;
- encrypting data, via at least one sending supplicant node included among the authenticated nodes, using the shared group encryption key;
- and exchanging the encrypted data from the at least one sending supplicant node to at least one receiving supplicant node included among the authenticated nodes;
- wherein the authenticator module includes a sender state machine circuit and each authenticated supplicant node includes a receiver state machine circuit, wherein the sender state machine circuit sequentially stores each received shared group encryption key in a sender storage area of the authenticator module, and wherein the receiver state machine circuit sequentially stores each received shared group encryption key in a receiver storage area of the authenticated supplicant node;
- and
- wherein each of the sender state machine circuit and the receiver state machine circuit transitions from encrypting the data using a first received shared group encryption key to encrypting the data using a second received shared encryption group key according to a time interval.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.