Systems and methods for securing real-time messages
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorsDouglas A. Thornton, Katherine M. Weaver
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A first aspect of the invention includes a method of securing messages using multiple cryptographic algorithms that distributes the burden of computing a session key using a strong cryptographic algorithm while using the session key with a faster cryptographic algorithm to protect messages long enough to compute a new session key. Some embodiments can be improved by use of a non-repeating seed, slotted storage of session keys, or both. A second aspect of the invention is generally directed to an augmented multi-stage hash function, which can be used as the faster cryptographic algorithm.
Claims33
A method of securing messages in a real-time system having a message computation cost constraint, comprising:
- periodically, at regular or irregular intervals, computing a session key using a first cryptographic algorithm, the first cryptographic algorithm having a computation cost greater than an available cryptography portion of the message computation cost constraint;
- encoding messages with the session key using a second cryptographic algorithm, the second cryptographic algorithm having a computation cost equal to or less than the available cryptography portion of the message computation cost constraint.
A method of encoding a message using an augmented multi-stage hashing function comprising:
- obtaining a dynamic key;
- encoding a first portion of the message using a look up table and a first portion of the dynamic key;
- encoding a second portion of the message using a look up table and a second portion of the dynamic key.
A method of decoding a message encoded using an augmented multi-stage hashing function comprising:
- obtaining a dynamic key;
- decoding a first portion of the encoded message using an reverse look up table and a first portion of the dynamic key;
- decoding a second portion of the encoded message using an reverse look up table and a second portion of the dynamic key.
A method of transmitting a message encoded using an augmented multi-stage hashing function to a receiver:
- obtaining a dynamic key;
- generating an encoded validation value and a plurality of encoded message values using an augmented multi-stage hashing function that obfuscates a plurality of intermediate hash values with the dynamic key to generate the encoded validation value and the plurality of encoded message values;
- forming a packet for transmission over a network including the plurality of encoded message values and the validation value.
A method of receiving a packet and decoding a message in the packet encoded using an augmented multi-stage hashing function:
- obtaining a dynamic key;
- receiving the packet;
- decoding the encoded message into the original message using an reverse look up table and the dynamic key.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.