Public Key Open Credential

Full Title

Yet another way to convert a public key into an Identifier.

• Secure Credential Interoperability and PKO relies on the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to provide the issuance and management of digital certificates. These PKI certificates verify the owner of a private key and the authenticity of that relationship going forward to help maintain security.

Context

Unlike traditional access systems that rely on centralized or symmetric encryption – where both parties must be pre-registered – PKOC operates using decentralized, asymmetric encryption through a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) where one side doesn’t need to be known until the moment of access.

Problems

• There seems to be no interesting difference between a user Identifier that point to a public key and the public key itself which is every bit as useful for tracking as the former. One advantage to the public key identifier is that the keying material can be refreshed.

Solutions

PKOC introduces a next-generation approach to credential delivery, offering two key methods:

• NFC-based credentials for physical access cards
• Bluetooth-based mobile credentials for smartphone authentication