Patent ID: 8050410

Claim:
A method comprising: generating a random cryptography key; encoding the random cryptography key into a plurality of first shares; communicating each first share to one of a plurality of parties in an intermediate node using a cryptographically strong forward security system having a limited effective communications distance; generating a plurality of re-randomized shares at each of the parties in the intermediate node, wherein the re-randomized shares, when combined with the first shares, encode the random cryptography key, and wherein the information contained in any subset of the first shares and any subset of the re-randomized shares alone is insufficient to determine the encoded key; distributing the plurality of re-randomized shares to the other parties in the intermediate node; generating a plurality of intermediate shares by combining the first shares and the re-randomized shares received by each of the parties in the intermediate node; transmitting the intermediate shares to a one or more parties in a subsequent node; determining the random cryptography key from the set of re-randomized shares; and communicating a secure message using the random cryptography key.