Third European Symposium on Research in Computer Security (ESORICS 94)
A Calculus for Secure Channel Establishment in Open Networks
Ueli M. Maurer, Pierre E. Schmid
Keywords : Network security, Key management, Cryptography, Security transformations, Formal models
Abstract : This paper presents a calculus of channel security properties which allows to analyse and compare protocols for establishing secure channels in a insecure open network at a high level of abstraction. A channel is characterized by its direction, time of availability and its security properties. Cryptographic primitives and trust relations are interpreted as transformations for channel security properties, and cryptographic protocols can be viewed as combinations of such transformations. A protocol thus allows to transform a set of secure channels established during an initial setup phase, together with a set of secure channels specified by the security requirements. The necessary and sufficient requirements for establishing a secure channels between two entities are characterized in terms of secure channels to be made available during the initial setup phase and in terms of trust relations between users and/or between users and trusted authorities.
(Pages 175-192)