Secured key distribution by concatenating optical communications and inter-device hand-held video transmission

Abstract

Key distribution is a growing concern for symmetric cryptography. Most of the current key-distribution mechanisms assume the use of the Internet and WAN networks, which are exposed to security hazards. To overcome them, the use of comprehensive and robust cryptographic mechanisms such as Diffie–Hellman (DH) and RSA (Rivest–Shamir–Adleman) algorithms are proposed. These solutions are limited. DH and RSA have been under threat since the introduction of quantum computing. Hence, new ideas are required. This paper introduces a new security approach for a safe key transmission using undetected high-speed optical camera communication (OCC), which is based on the rolling shutter effect of modern smart cameras. The key transfer is done by blinking light-emitting diode (LED) lights in a specific sequence and frequency, following an encoding pattern. The receiver decodes the received blinks to a bit string using a corresponding image processing application. This optical media ensures secure transfer without the ability to quote it. We demonstrate in an experiment the feasibility of using basic wireless optical communication for key transmission, eliminating the need for a permanent, long, and costly setup. It is mobile, available everywhere anytime, and requires only simple connections to operate. The results show that this method is feasible, robust, efficient, and implementable.