A Distributed Key Generation Technique

In a public key cryptographic system, the uniqueness and authenticity of the keys are essential to the success of the system. Traditionally, a single, centralized key distribution/certification server has been used to generate and distribute keys. This approach requires a distinguished trusted entity which could potentially become a single point of failure or penetration in a distributed environment. We present in this paper a new, simple way to handle distributed key generation We assign a unique range of m-bit numbers to each key generator in the system. As a result, the lower-order m bits of the keys generated is a unique number in the assigned range. our scheme not only provides a way to generate globally unique keys in an independent, distributed fashion, it also enhances the security of public-key cryptosystems by eliminating the mapping between keys and entity names.

Wang, Chenxi, and William Wulf. "A Distributed Key Generation Technique." University of Virginia Dept. of Computer Science Tech Report (1996).