Patent ID: 8873759

Claim:
A method for securely distributing a group session cryptographic key for a group communication session to a plurality of communication nodes, comprising: initiating at least one pairwise key distribution session including a root node and at least one first communication node of a plurality of communication nodes; securely providing the group session cryptographic key to said first communication node participating in said pairwise key distribution session; performing at said first communication node a first propagated pairwise key distribution session with at least one second communication node of said plurality of communication nodes which has not previously received said group session cryptographic key; securely providing group session cryptographic key from said first communication node to said second communication node; performing second propagated pairwise key distribution sessions at each of a plurality of third communication nodes which subsequently receives said group session cryptographic key until said group session cryptographic key has been securely provided to all authorized ones of said plurality of communication nodes; and communicating information between said authorized ones of said plurality of communication nodes in a group communication session using said group session cryptographic key; wherein (1) the root node communicates said group session cryptographic key to a fourth communication node in parallel with communication of the group session cryptographic key to the first communication node or (2) the first communication node communicates said group session cryptographic key to a fifth communication node in parallel with communication of the group session cryptographic key to the second communication node.