System and method for exchanging cryptographic protocol capabilities
View Patent ↗In some data communication configurations, data received from a sender may need to be viewed or otherwise processed by more than one entity with a corresponding client. For example, a message sent to a corporate email address may be viewed by either or both a mobile device and a desktop device. For the sender to utilize the strongest algorithm or protocol used by the recipient, it would therefore need to know which algorithms or protocols are supported by both the mobile and desktop mail clients. A system and method are provided to enable the mobile device to know about the capabilities of related mail clients associated with the communication address (e.g. email address) and vice versa such that the intersection of the capabilities (i.e. the strongest algorithm or protocol supported by all parties involved) can be chosen and the messages or data cryptographically processed accordingly.
1. A method for providing cryptographic protocol capabilities, the method comprising:
a sending device operated by a first correspondent in a data communication system determining a first set of protocol capabilities corresponding to its local cryptographic protocol capabilities;
the sending device obtaining at least one additional set of protocols corresponding to at least one other device operated by the first correspondent by communicably connecting the sending device to the at least one other device and obtaining the additional set of protocols via the connection;
the sending device preparing data to be sent to a recipient correspondent in the data communication system, and including in the data, an indication of protocols supported by the sending device and the at least one other device to thereby indicate to the recipient, one or more protocols that can be handled by both the sending device and the at least one other device when the recipient device communicates with the first correspondent.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the indication of protocols comprises only protocols supported by both the sending device and the at least one other device.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the connection is associated with an existing synchronization procedure between the sending device and the at least one other device.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one other device is associated with an intermediate server accessible to both the sending device and the at least one other device.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the intermediate server is configured to push the protocols to the sending device, the method further comprising the sending device receiving the protocols from the intermediate server.
6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the sending device referencing a recipient cache to determine one or more protocols supported by each of one or more entities associated with the recipient; and
cryptographically processing the data according to a desired one of the one or more protocols to thereby utilize a protocol supported by all of the one or more entities associated with the recipient.
7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for providing cryptographic protocol capabilities, the computer readable storage medium comprising instructions for:
a sending device operated by a first correspondent in a data communication system determining a first set of protocol capabilities corresponding to its local cryptographic protocol capabilities;
the sending device obtaining at least one additional set of protocols corresponding to at least one other device operated by the first correspondent by communicably connecting the sending device to the at least one other device and obtaining the additional set of protocols via the connection;
the sending device preparing data to be sent to a recipient correspondent in the data communication system, and including in the data, an indication of protocols supported by the sending device and the at least one other device to thereby indicate to the recipient, one or more protocols that can be handled by both the sending device and the at least one other device when the recipient device communicates with the first correspondent.
8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 7 , wherein the indication of protocols comprises only protocols supported by both the sending device and the at least one other device.
9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 7 , wherein the connection is associated with an existing synchronization procedure between the sending device and the at least one other device.
10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one other device is associated with an intermediate server accessible to both the sending device and the at least one other device.
11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 10 , wherein the intermediate server is configured to push the protocols to the sending device, the method further comprising the sending device receiving the protocols from the intermediate server.
12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 7 , further comprising instructions for:
referencing a recipient cache to determine one or more protocols supported by each of one or more entities associated with the recipient; and
cryptographically processing the data according to a desired one of the one or more protocols to thereby utilize a protocol supported by all of the one or more entities associated with the recipient.
13. A method for obtaining cryptographic protocol capabilities for a sender correspondent in a data communication system, the method comprising:
a recipient device receiving data from the sender correspondent, a portion of the data comprising a set of protocols for a plurality of devices operated by the sender correspondent, at least one of the set of protocols having been obtained by a sending device of the sender correspondent communicably connecting the sending device to at least one other of the plurality of devices and obtaining the at least one protocol via the connection;
the recipient device storing at least one of the set of protocols in a recipient cache;
in a future communication with the sender, the recipient device referencing the recipient cache in selecting a protocol supported by each of the plurality of devices; and
the recipient device cryptographically processing data to be sent to the sender correspondent according to the selected protocol to enable the plurality of devices to cryptographically process the data accordingly.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the set of protocols is received in separate messages sent by each of the plurality of devices.
15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the set of stored in the recipient cache is the at least one protocol supported by all of the plurality of devices.
16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for obtaining cryptographic protocol capabilities for a sender correspondent in a data communication system, the computer readable storage medium comprising instructions for:
a recipient device receiving data from the sender correspondent, a portion of the data comprising a set of protocols for a plurality of devices operated by the sender correspondent, at least one of the set of protocols having been obtained by a sending device of the sender correspondent communicably connecting the sending device to at least one other of the plurality of devices and obtaining the at least one protocol via the connection;
the recipient device storing at least one of the set of protocols in a recipient cache;
in a future communication with the sender, the recipient device referencing the recipient cache in selecting a protocol supported by each of the plurality of devices; and
the recipient device cryptographically processing data to be sent to the sender correspondent according to the selected protocol to enable the plurality of devices to cryptographically process the data accordingly.
17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 16 , wherein the set of protocols is received in separate messages sent by each of the plurality of devices.
18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 16 , wherein the set of protocols stored in the recipient cache is the at least one protocol supported by all of the plurality of devices.