Patent ID: 8712056

Claim:
A method comprising: from a first node in a mobile ad hoc network comprising a first plurality of nodes, providing a first message comprising an encrypted shared key to each node of a second plurality of nodes, wherein: the second plurality of nodes is selected from the first plurality of nodes; each node of the second plurality of nodes has associated therewith a respective key encryption key (KEK); and each KEK is known only to the first node and a node to which the KEK is associated; and the encrypted shared key is encrypted with a KEK associated with a respective node of the second plurality of nodes to generate a respective plurality of encrypted shared keys; to each node of the second plurality of nodes from which acknowledgment of receipt of a respective first message is received, providing a second message comprising an indication to use the received shared key for communications within the mobile ad hoc network, wherein decryption of a message using a previous shared key is allowed; and to each node of the second plurality of nodes from which acknowledgment of receipt of a respective second message is received, providing a third message comprising an indication to not use a respective previous shared key for communications within the mobile ad hoc network.