Title: Secure identity-based encryption: overcoming the key escrow challenge

Authors: Khaleda Afroaz; Y.V. Subba Rao; N. Rukma Rekha

Addresses: School of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India ' School of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India ' School of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Abstract: Identity-based encryption (IBE) simplifies public key encryption overhead by eliminating the need for certificate authorities (CAs) to issue public keys. However, IBE suffers from the key escrow problem, where the private key generator (PKG) can access private keys. Existing solutions require additional trusted authorities or certificates. This paper presents a novel scheme that overcomes key escrow without certificates or extra trusted authorities. The scheme incorporates the receiver's public parameter during encryption, along with identity and public parameters from the PKG. To decrypt, the receiver needs the private key generated by the PKG and their private parameter, which is unknown to the PKG. This approach prevents PKG from decrypting messages. The proposed scheme is secure in the selective identity model and applicable in healthcare, MANETS, IoT, and M2M communications.

Keywords: identity-based encryption; IBE; key escrow problem; private key generator; PKG.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSN.2024.140266

International Journal of Security and Networks, 2024 Vol.19 No.2, pp.55 - 62

Received: 22 May 2023
Accepted: 24 Sep 2023
Published online: 01 Aug 2024 *

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