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US 8,948,388 B2Granted
Elliptic curve random number generation
AssigneeCerticom Corp.
InventorsDaniel Richard L. Brown, Scott Alexander Vanstone
Life of this patent
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AssigneeCerticom Corp.
InventorsDaniel Richard L. Brown, Scott Alexander Vanstone
Estimating the term…
An elliptic curve random number generator avoids escrow keys by choosing a point Q on the elliptic curve as verifiably random. An arbitrary string is chosen and a hash of that string computed. The hash is then converted to a field element of the desired field, the field element regarded as the x-coordinate of a point Q on the elliptic curve and the x-coordinate is tested for validity on the desired elliptic curve. If valid, the x-coordinate is decompressed to the point Q, wherein the choice of which is the two points is also derived from the hash value. Intentional use of escrow keys can provide for back up functionality. The relationship between P and Q is used as an escrow key and stored by for a security domain. The administrator logs the output of the generator to reconstruct the random number with the escrow key.
A computer-implemented method of generating a random number for use in a cryptographic operation to be performed by a processor, the method comprising:
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that are operable when executed by computer hardware comprising one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
A random number generator system comprising computer hardware comprising one or more processors configured to:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.