Secure Key Exchange Protocol based on Virtual Proof of Reality.
Yansong Gao · 2015
Abstract. Securely sharing the same secret key among multiple parties is the main concern in symmetric cryptography that is the workhorse of modern cryptography due to its simplicity and fast speed. Typically asymmetric cryptography is used to set up a shared secret between par-ties, after which the switch to symmetric cryptography can be made. In this paper, we introduce a novel key exchange protocol based on phys-ical hardware implementation to establish a shared secret between par-ties rather than relying on mathematical implementation of asymmetric cryptography. In particular, the key exchange is dependent on a new se-curity concept named as virtual proof of reality or simply virtual proof (VP) that enables proof of a physical statement over untrusted digital communication channels between two parties (a “prover ” and a “veri-fier”) residing in two separate local systems. We firstly exploit the VP to secure key exchange and further prove it by using experimental data. The key transfered in this protocol is only seen by the prover and hidden from not only the adversary but also the verifier. While only the verifier can successfully discover it.