Research On Security Mechanisms Of Instant Messaging

As an instant way of communications over the internet, Instant Messaging(IM) services are very popular in personal and corporate communications. However, the security issues of IM have received little consideration from the security research community.We provide a survey on instant messaging security, discuss security defects and threats to existing IM networks and list the security goals for instant messaging system. In addition, the thesis presents the Identity-Based Instant Messaging Encryption Protocol(IBIMEP) as a solution for IM security. Finally, the thesis provides security analysis of IBIMEP and discusses the implementation of IBIMEP.Identity-based cryptography(IBC) is a relatively young area of cryptography and has many advantages over traditional public-key cryptosystems. Now IBC has not been used very frequently although products such as secure email system based on IBC has appeared. In particular, the application of IBC in IM appears largely unexplored. This thesis sets out to examine how identity-based cryptography might be used to secure IM systems. We present detailed schemes for identity authentication and private key distribution, which are two main problems in using IBC.IBIMEP provides the following security proporties for IM system: authentication between a client and the IM server; secure communications between a client and the IM server; secure communications between two clients; perfect forward secrecy and repudiability; resistance against replay attacks.IBIMEP is designed to provide security for the present IM systems. It is convenient to implement IBIMEP in popular IM protocols.IBIMEP puts no burden on end-users or brings any changes in the way they use IM systems. IMIMEP is completely transparent for end-users.