Back to results
US 8,712,056 B2Granted
Secure mobile ad hoc network
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorRobert Hall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Security in a mobile ad hoc network is maintained by using various forms of encryption, various encryption schemes, and various multi-phase keying techniques. In one configuration, an over the air, three-phase, re-keying technique is utilized to ensure that no authorized nodes are lost during re-keying and that nodes that are intended to be excluded from re-keying are excluded. In another configuration, an over the air, two-phase keying technique, is utilized to maintain backwards secrecy.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- from a first node in a mobile ad hoc network comprising a first plurality of nodes, providing a first message comprising an encrypted shared key to each node of a second plurality of nodes, wherein:
- the second plurality of nodes is selected from the first plurality of nodes;
- each node of the second plurality of nodes has associated therewith a respective key encryption key (KEK);
- and
- each KEK is known only to the first node and a node to which the KEK is associated;
- and
- the encrypted shared key is encrypted with a KEK associated with a respective node of the second plurality of nodes to generate a respective plurality of encrypted shared keys;
- to each node of the second plurality of nodes from which acknowledgment of receipt of a respective first message is received, providing a second message comprising an indication to use the received shared key for communications within the mobile ad hoc network, wherein decryption of a message using a previous shared key is allowed;
- and
- to each node of the second plurality of nodes from which acknowledgment of receipt of a respective second message is received, providing a third message comprising an indication to not use a respective previous shared key for communications within the mobile ad hoc network.
7 more elements
A device comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to effectuate operations comprising:
- generating a different key encryption key (KEK) for each of a plurality of nodes in a mobile ad hoc network, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes has associated therewith a current node-specific KEK;
- encrypting each generated KEK, using a different current node-specific KEK;
- providing a respective first message to each node of the plurality of nodes, wherein a respective first message comprises an encrypted KEK associated with a node to which a respective first message is being provided;
- and
- to each node of the plurality of nodes from which acknowledgment of receipt of a respective first message is received, providing a second message comprising an indication to use the received KEK for communications within the mobile ad hoc network and to stop using a respective current node-specific KEK for communications within the mobile ad hoc network, wherein upon acknowledging receipt of a respective second message, a respective current node-specific KEK is deleted and replaced with the received KEK.
5 more elements
A communications device comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor effectuate operations comprising:
- providing a first message comprising an encrypted shared key to each node of a plurality of nodes in a mobile ad hoc network, wherein:
- each node of the plurality of nodes has associated therewith a respective key encryption key (KEK);
- and
- each KEK is known only to the communications device and a node to which the KEK is associated;
- and
- each encrypted shared key is encrypted with a KEK associated with a respective node;
- receiving acknowledgment of receipt of a respective first message from a node of the plurality of nodes;
- to each node of the plurality of nodes from which acknowledgment of receipt of a respective first message is received, providing a second message comprising an indication to use the received shared key for communications within the mobile ad hoc network, wherein decryption of a message using a previous shared key is allowed;
- and
- to each node of the plurality of nodes from which acknowledgment of receipt of a respective second message is received, providing a third message comprising an indication to not use a respective previous shared key for communications within the mobile ad hoc network.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.