Secure Authentication in Group Communications Using Media Access Control (MAC) Address

We propose adding users’ Media Access Control (MAC) addresses to standard X.509 certificates to provide more secure authentication. Recent patents demonstrate efforts on a X.509 certificate by adding security features in order to establish secure communications. The MAC address can be added by the issuing Certification Authority (CA) to the “extensions” section of the X.509 certificate. We demonstrate that when two users with MAC address information on their digital certificates communicate, the MAC address on the first user’s certificate can be easily verified by the second user. In this way, security can be improved without markedly degrading system performance and the level of initial trust between participants in virtual communities can be enhanced.