US 11,750,376 B2
Threshold scheme enabled symmetric key member deletion
Mingyan Li, Bellevue, WA (US); Douglas A. Stuart, St. Charles, MO (US); Jai J. Choi, Sammamish, WA (US); and Joshua D. Cazalas, Madison, AL (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on May 26, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/826,137.
Application 17/826,137 is a division of application No. 16/875,915, filed on May 15, 2020, granted, now 11,374,744.
Prior Publication US 2022/0286276 A1, Sep. 8, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04L 9/08 (2006.01); H04L 9/40 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 9/085 (2013.01) [H04L 9/0894 (2013.01); H04L 63/0435 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
securing, by a managing node, communication in a network of a plurality of member nodes including a first member node, wherein communication is secured using a (k, n1) secret sharing scheme during a first phase, “k” is a first threshold of shares required to resolve a first key used in the first phase, and “n1” is a first total number of shares for the first key;
announcing, by the managing node, a phase shift to a subsequent phase relative to the first phase;
securing, by the managing node, communication in the network during the subsequent phase using a (k+x, n2) secret sharing scheme wherein:
“x” is at least 1, and k+x is a second threshold of shares required to resolve a second key used in the subsequent phase,
“n2” is a second total number of shares for the second key,
each of the plurality of member nodes is previously in possession of exactly one corresponding unique share for the second key, and
the first member node is previously in possession of a first unique share for the second key; and
deleting, by the managing node, the first member node from the subsequent phase by broadcasting the first unique share for the second key and, if previously deleted nodes were previously deleted from the network, also broadcasting additional unique shares for the second key belonging to all previously deleted nodes.