Scalable group key exchange protocol with provable security

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce a scalable group key exchange (GKE) protocol with provable security, which is used to establish a confidential channel.Design/methodology/approachThe protocol in this paper uses line structure, rather than formal ring structure or tree structure, to reduce the amount of calculation and communication.FindingsIn the protocol, every participant just need send two messages. The security can be proved under the Decisional Diffie‐Hellman (DDH) problem.Originality/valueUsing the protocol provides an efficient and secure method to allow group users to share a common key.