J-PAKE over TLS

This is a short introduction of building a secure channel between devices.

Motivation

The motivation to write this is to note how we solve the problem in work:

How to build a secure channel between Firefox Android and Firefox OS TV?

To make Firefox Android as a remote controller of Firefox OS TV, building a secure channel is definitely the first step to do. However, the Firefox Android and Firefox OS TV are all in local network, which has no any Public Key Infrastructure(PKI) there, so it's impossible to use standard TLS and https to build our connection.

To overcome this problem, we introduce a method, J-PAKE over TLS, as our solution.

Demo

J-PAKE: Password Authenticated Key Exchange by Juggling

Password Authenticated Key Exchange by Juggling(J-PAKE) is a password-authenticated key agreement protocol with Zero-Knowledge Proof(ZKP) mechanism. By authenticating the preestablished password on both side, there is no longer need PKI for authentication.

TLS: Transport Layer Security

TLS is a cryptographic protocol to provide secure communication over network. Nowadays, TLS is a well-established crypto module in widespread use on major web sites and browsers for web-browsing, email, messaging applications to provide privacy and integrity of secure communication between devices.

Structure of This Book

First, we will talk how TLS works, including its requirements and limits. Next, we need to figure out what is Password authenticated Key Exchange(PAKE) and its properties. It is base of J-PAKE. Then, to overcome the drawbacks of TLS and PAKE, J-PAKE is introduced. Therefore, we have sequential chapters for TLS, PAKE, and J-PAKE.

Feel Free to Correct Me

Well, I study this topic only about one month, it's hard to make sure that there is no anything wrong. In addition, some sentences might be weird or the grammar needs to be revised since English is not my native language. Please feel free to correct me if you see anything that can enhance this book :)

Talk slides

The Magic behind Remotecontrol Service of Firefox OS TV: slides here