Authenticated key distribution and secure broadcast using no conventional encryption: A unified approach based on block codes

Abstract

To eliminate the use of conventional encryption and to improve protocol efficiency, one-way hash function based authenticated key distribution protocols have appeared in the literature following two distinct approaches: the first approach employs one-way hash function and bitwise XOR operation [7, 3, 15]; while the second approach makes us of one-way hash function and polynomial interpolation [9]. In this paper, we present a new technique for constructing one-way hash function based protocols for authenticated key distribution. The technique makes use of systematic linear block codes in error-control coding theory, results in more efficient protocols compared with their counterparts in the literature, and in effect, unifies the above two approaches in designing such protocols. As a by product, a secure broadcast protocol is also given which is capable of distributing a data message of any size in one broadcast protocol message.