Authenticated Key Exchange (AKE), Authenticated Key Agreement (AKA) or Authentication and Key Establishment(AKE) is the exchange or creation of a
session key
A session key is a single-use symmetric key used for encrypting all messages in one communication session. A closely related term is content encryption key (CEK), traffic encryption key (TEK), or multicast key which refers to any key used for e ...
in a
key exchange
Key exchange (also key establishment) is a method in cryptography by which cryptographic keys are exchanged between two parties, allowing use of a cryptographic algorithm.
If the sender and receiver wish to exchange encrypted messages, each ...
protocol which also authenticates the identities of parties involved in key exchange. AKE typically occurs at the beginning of a communication session.
[Boyd, C., Mathuria, A., & Stebila, D. (2020). Protocols for authentication and Key Establishment. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.] Features of AKE protocols include determining which keys already exist and can be used, how new keys will be generated, and how many users the protocol is applicable to.
AKE protocols make use of
long term keys which exist prior to the protocol, and session keys, which are typically
symmetric keys established during the execution of the protocol.
AKE protocols can be divided into four categories, based on the different types of long term keys used :
# Pre-Shared keys
# Public-private key pairs
# Identity-based keys
# Passwords
The use of
Transport Layer Security
Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a cryptographic protocol designed to provide communications security over a computer network. The protocol is widely used in applications such as email, instant messaging, and voice over IP, but its use in secu ...
(TLS) to secure
HTTP
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application layer protocol in the Internet protocol suite model for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web, ...
connections is perhaps the most widely deployed AKE protocol.
References
Key management
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