Using Trapdoor Permutations in a Complete Subtree Method for Broadcast Encryption

The complete subtree (CS) method is widely accepted for the broadcast encryption. A new method for assigning keys in the CS method is proposed in this paper. The essential idea behind the proposed method is to use two trapdoor permutations. Using the trapdoor information, the key management center computes and assigns a key to each terminal so that the terminal can derive all information necessary in the CS method. A terminal has to keep just one key, while log2 N + 1 keys were needed in the original CS method where N is the number of all terminals. The permutations to be used need to satisfy a certain property which is similar to but slightly different from the claw-free property. The needed property, named strongly semi-claw-free property, is formalized in terms of probabilistic polynomial time algorithm, and its relation to the claw-free property is discussed. It is also shown that if the used permutations fulfill the strongly semi-claw-free property, then the proposed method is secure against attacks of malicious users. key words: key management, broadcast encryption, stateless receivers, trapdoor permutations, claw-free permutations