Methods for Multicast Key-Capacity

Background:

A key-dissemination communication protocol is one in which a key K, which is at times secret, is shared among a collection of users as a prelude to future communication tasks requiring shared user common knowledge.

Technology Overview:

This work initiates the study of key-dissemination in the context of noiseless networks.  For a multi-source, multi-terminal network, in the key-dissemination problem one wishes to multicast a key K of rate R for a collection of sources to a collection of terminal nodes.  Unlike traditional forms of secure multicast, there is no requirement on K beyond the following three constraints.  First, K should be delivered to all terminal nodes, second, K should not be revealed to an eavesdropper with predefined eavesdropping capabilities, and third, K is uniform and has rate at least R.  Allowing the shared key K to be any function of the source information grants a flexibility to the communication process.

Advantages:

Increased key-rates when compared to traditional secure multicast, while still maintaining similar levels of protection from eavesdroppers.

Applications:

This scenario may be appropriate for network protocols that share a secret key between a pair of users to later be used as a one-time-pad for the secure communication of sensitive information.

Intellectual Property Summary:

US Provisional Patent Application 63/306,178 filed 2/3/2022.

Stage of Development:

TRL 3

Licensing Status:

Available for license or collaboration.