A network information security management system which authenticates and/or encrypts messages is proposed. Both authentication and key distribution are executed in a simple scheme. Once the system is set up, the transactions are done independently by the users involved, yet the amount of information that users must keep is small. The experimental implementation of the system on a personal computer network, using IC cards (smart cards) and digital signal processors, is described. The signal processors shorten calculation time and make the concept practical.>

A key distribution system (KDS) based on identification information (ID-based KDS) is presented. The system is founded on the Diffie-Hellman public key distribution scheme and has an identity authentication function. It uses an individual user's identification information instead of the public file used in the Diffie-Hellman scheme. It does not require any services of a center to distribute work keys or users to keep directories of key-encrypting keys. Therefore, key management in cryptosystems can be simplified by adopting the ID-based KDS. Two kinds of identity-based key distribution system are proposed and applied to actual communication networks. One uses two-way (interactive) communication to distribute work keys, while the other uses one-way communication. Modular exponentiations of large numbers, used in the systems, are implemented with digital signal processors.>