US 7,068,789 B2 · Peer-to-peer name resolution protocol (PNRP) group security infrastructure and method

Abstract

A method for ensuring valid and secure peer-to-peer communications in a group structure. Specifically, the system of the present invention presents a method of ensuring secure peer-to-peer group formation, group member addition, group member eviction, group information distribution, etc. Such functionality may be distributed to the individual peers in the group to further enhance the overall security of the group while enhancing flexibility. The P2P group security allows every peer who is a valid member of the group to invite new members. The recipients of these invitations are then able to contact any member of the group to join the group, not only the inviter. Further, groups may function when the group creator is not online. Likewise, the method allows the creation of secure groups with users from different security domains, relying on their security credentials in those domains for initial authentication.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method of inviting and joining a peer to a secure peer-to-peer group comprising the steps of:

obtaining a public key (PU1) of a peer;
forming, by a first member of the group, a group membership certificate containing the peer's public key (PU1) and signed with a group private key (KG) of a group public/private key pair, the group membership certificate having a structure of ((PU1)KG);
sending the group membership certificate from the first member to the peer to invite the peer to join the group, the group membership certificate allowing the peer to join the group through a second member other than the first member;
receiving, at a second member of the group different from the first member, a connect message from the peer containing the group membership certificate signed by a private key of the peer, the connect message requesting connection to the secure peer-to-peer group;
the second member, authenticating the group membership certificate before allowing the peer to connect to the secure peer-to-peer group;
and
if the group membership certificate is authenticated, sending an accept message to the peer including a group shared key.

4 more elements

In a secure peer-to-peer group having a predefined public/private key pair (PG/KG), a method of inviting a peer to join the group, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a public key (PU1) of a peer by a first member of the peer-to-peer group;
forming by the first member a first group membership-certificate containing the peer's public key (PU1) and a second group membership certificate signed with the group private key (KG), and signed with a private key of the first member (KU2), the second group membership certificate having a structure of ((PU1)KG)KU2);
sending the first and second group membership certificates from the first member to the peer to invite the peer to join the group;
receiving, at a second member different from the first member, a connect message from the peer containing the first group membership and;
if the first group membership certificate is authenticated, sending an accept message to the peer including a group shared key.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Peer-to-peer name resolution protocol (PNRP) group security infrastructure and method

Life of this patent

Peer-to-peer name resolution protocol (PNRP) group security infrastructure and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23