AUTOMATIC KEY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND KEY MANAGEMENT METHOD THEREFOR, AND KEY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic key management system realizes addition of the choice of 'no time limit' to choices of the expiration date for a key (SA: security association) generated by an automatic key exchange system. ;SOLUTION: The automatic key management system, where a key is exchanged and set with opposite side communication units while conducting security communication, is characterized in that each communication unit is provided with an initiator for proposing communication settings and a responder for returning a reply, in the case of setting 'no time limit' to the expiration date of the key with respect to the communication opposite party. The initiator generates a proposal of the communication setting, where the expiration date of the key is selected to be 'no time limit' to the communication opposite party on the basis of the setting of a predetermined life type, in order to indicate that the expiration date of the key is 'no time limit' and transmits the proposal to the communication opposite party, and the responder returns an answer accepting the proposal of the communication setting, only when the responder receives the proposal of the communication setting where the expiration date of the key is selected to 'no time limit', in the case of setting the 'no time limit' to the expiration date of the key with the communication opposite party.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO