A simple, safe way to generate, remember, and share multiple keyphrases.
A good keyphrase protocol achieves 3 goals:
1.
It's easily remembered by
you and your intended recipients ("the group").
2.
It minimizes the risk of a
keyphrase being intercepted or figured out by
unwanted 3rd parties.
3.
It generates an abundance of ever-changing
keyphrases automatically or
deliberately, without you and your party ever again having to communicate much, if any.
Example
There are no specific rules to develop a good protocol, other than achieving the 3 stated
goals
above. The example protocol shown below would work for a group of close
friends who know the names of each other's pets. It has
3 components:
1. Core2.
Generator3. Pivot.
1. The Core
The Core is the phrase (or string of characters)
from which a variety of keyphrases will be generated.
It should be unique and memorable to the members of group.
Maybe it is an inside joke or a made-up phrase that is obvious
to the group but obscure to outsiders.
Make sure that the core does NOT include any information that identifies any
individual in the group.
Example of Core:
When in Chrome, do as the Chromans do!
The above Core is both memorable and unique — it
alters a well-known saying with two rhyming web browser-inspired terms.
2. The Generator
The Generator, by altering the Core phrase, generates all the actual
keyphrases you'll use when communicating with your group.
The Generator defines an element or set of elements that alter the Core, based on external changing
factors. Members of the group would use these variable keyphrases to encrypt and decrypt individual
messages.
Example of Generator:
After verbs add:
month
sent / name of sender's pet.
This Generator would produce a variety of
keyphrases, such as...
When in Chrome, do September as the Chromans do
Mr. Jinx!
Anyone in the group receiving an encrypted message would be able to figure out
the keyphrase by simply checking when it was sent (September), and remembering the name of the
sender's pet (Mr. Jinx).
3. The Pivot
The Pivot is a pre-determined instruction triggered by
a signal from the message sender. Depending on the Pivot's
level of complexity, it can generate either...
A new keyphrase
A new Core
A new Generator
A new Pivot, or even
A new protocol
Example of Pivot:
If encrypted message is preceded by an asterisk
(*), after verbs add:
day of week sent / nickname of sender
This Pivot produces a variety of keyphrases, such as:
When in Chrome, do Wednesday as the Chromans do
Bob!
You could add more Pivots (or rules) to the protocol to make it even more secure.
Just bear in mind that you want your protocol to be memorable. So, depending on the particular
situation, try to find a good balance between simplicity and security.
So, how many keyphrases can this example protocol generate?
Say there are 6 people (and thus 6 pets) in the group sharing this
protocol...
a) The Generator could generate up to 72
different keyphrases (12 months x 6
pets).
b) The Pivot could generate an additional 42
different keyphrases (7 days x 6
people).
That's 114 different keyphrases this single protocol could generate.
That's pretty powerful, and it was not complicated at all. All it took was defining 3 components:
Core:When in Chrome, do
as the Chromans do!
Generator:After verbs
add: month sent / name of sender's
pet.
Pivot:If encrypted
message is preceded by an asterisk
(*),
after
verbs
add: day of week sent / nickname of sender.
BETA *
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