Patent ID: 7017041
Filing Date: 2006-03-21
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A communications network for securing communications of a user having a symmetric crypto-key, and an asymmetric crypto-key with a private key, including a first private key portion and a second private key portion, and a public key portion, comprising: a first network station, representing a network entity, and configured to transmit a request for authentication of the user; a second network station, representing the user, configured to further transmit the authentication request encrypted with the symmetric crypto-key; and a third network station, representing a sponsor, configured (i) to store first personal information of the user and second personal information, different than the first information, of the user, (ii) to decrypt the transmitted encrypted authentication request with the symmetric crypto-key to recover the authentication request, (iii) to select the stored first or the stored second personal information based on the decrypted authentication request being a request of the network entity represented by the first network station, (iv) to generate a certificate including the selected personal information and excluding the unselected personal information, and (v) to transmit the recovered authentication request encrypted with the second private key portion and the generated certificate; wherein the second network station is further configured (i) to further encrypt, with the first private key portion, the transmitted authentication request encrypted with the second private key portion, (ii) to transmit the further encrypted authentication request, and (iii) to further transmit the transmitted certificate; and wherein the first network station is further configured (i) to decrypt the transmitted further encrypted authentication request with the public key portion and thereby authenticate the user, and (ii) to identify the user based on the personal information included in the further transmitted certificate.