Abstract: A method for preserving privacy within a communication system, wherein a location-based service concerning an area of interest is provided for at least one user by a database server and wherein location information represented by coordinates of objects and/or users and/or areas and/or queries, made to the location-based service, is concealed, includes concealing the location information by transforming coordinates by first splitting the area of interest up in tiles for providing at least one tiling of the area of interest, and then permuting the tiles by a pseudo-random permutation process.

Abstract: A method for identifying potentially malicious network elements within a network is useable in a network which includes a plurality of domains administrated by different operators P1, . . . , Pn. In the method, a functional entity receives qualifying information regarding at least one network element that has been transmitted by at least some of the operators P1, . . . , Pn. The at least one network element is qualified as being potentially malicious. The functional entity provides at least one of an alarm information and an alarm activity based on a predefined number of the operators P1, . . . , Pn having transmitted the qualifying information regarding a same potentially malicious network element to the functional entity.

Abstract: A method for authenticating a data stream includes selecting a number of data fragments of the data stream, defining at least two granularity levels for the selected data fragments, dividing each of the selected data fragments according to the granularity levels, generating a hierarchical authentication structure including elements representing hash values of the divided selected data fragments on the different granularity levels, selecting at least a portion of the hash values of the hierarchical authentication structure for transmission to a receiver, reconstructing the granularity value on the top level of the hierarchical authentication structure based on the transmitted hash values, and performing authentication of the data fragments of the data stream based on comparing the reconstructed value on the top granularity level of the hierarchical authentication structure with the signed value on the top granularity level of the generated hierarchical authentication structure,

Abstract: A method for accessing a device by a user connected to the device and to at least two servers in different networks includes collaboratively generating parts of an authentication ticket on the at least two servers, collaboratively generating parts of a user session key and encrypting a combined user session key, authenticating with the authentication ticket at a distributed ticket granting server by collaboratively decrypting user request information using the combined user session key and comparing its content with the authentication ticket, collaboratively generating an encrypted user-to-device ticket and an encrypted user-to-device session key, and accessing the device by the user using the encrypted user-to-device ticket and the user-to-device session key.

Abstract: A method for identifying potentially malicious network elements within a network is useable in a network which includes a plurality of domains administrated by different operators P1, . . . , Pn. In the method, a functional entity receives qualifying information regarding at least one network element that has been transmitted by at least some of the operators P1, . . . , Pn. The at least one network element is qualified as being potentially malicious. The functional entity provides at least one of an alarm information and an alarm activity based on a predefined number of the operators P1, . . . , Pn having transmitted the qualifying information regarding a same potentially malicious network element to the functional entity.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for storing data in a relational database, comprising a plurality of tables, wherein the data is stored in these tables, wherein each row of each table is provided with an original primary key for identification, and wherein foreign keys are provided for cross-referencing different tables of the relational database, wherein the primary keys are encrypted, wherein the foreign keys are encrypted based on the encrypted primary keys and wherein for each table where a primary key is referenced as a foreign key an encrypted pointer is stored to link the corresponding encrypted foreign key to the encrypted primary key. The present invention further relates to a relational database server.

Abstract: A method and system for securely pairing wireless devices, includes deploying a master device in a network environment, and a new device to be securely integrated into the network environment executes an unauthenticated key exchange with the master device. The master device has a security association with a camera system that monitors an operational area where the new device is placed, based on the exchanged key, the master device and the new device each compute a key confirmation code. The camera system learns the key confirmation code from the master device. The camera system watches for devices transmitting the key confirmation code and provides images of such identified devices to the master device, based on an analysis of an image of a device identified by the camera system, an authorization decision is made with respect to accepting the identified device as new device of the network environment.

Abstract: A method and system for securely pairing wireless devices, includes deploying a master device in a network environment, and a new device to be securely integrated into the network environment executes an unauthenticated key exchange with the master device. The master device has a security association with a camera system that monitors an operational area where the new device is placed, based on the exchanged key, the master device and the new device each compute a key confirmation code. The camera system learns the key confirmation code from the master device. The camera system watches for devices transmitting the key confirmation code and provides images of such identified devices to the master device, based on an analysis of an image of a device identified by the camera system, an authorization decision is made with respect to accepting the identified device as new device of the network environment.