The Secret Key-Private Key Capacity Region for Three Terminals

Abstract

We consider a model for secrecy generation, with three terminals, by means of public interterminal communication, and examine the problem of characterizing all the rates at which all three terminals can generate a ``secret key,'' and -- simultaneously -- two designated terminals can generate a ``private key'' which is effectively concealed from the remaining terminal; both keys are also concealed from an eavesdropper that observes the public communication. Inner and outer bounds for the ``secret key--private key capacity region'' are derived. Under a certain special condition, these bounds coincide to yield the (exact) secret key--private key capacity region.

Appeared in the proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory, Adelaide, Australia, September 4 -- 9, 2005