DISCOVERY OF SECURITY ASSOCIATIONS FOR KEY MANAGEMENT RELYING ON PUBLIC KEYS

Techniques are disclosed for forming a discoverable security association in communication environments and for lawfully discovering security associations formed in communication environments. For example, a method for forming a discoverable security association between a first computing device and a second computing device comprises the following steps. The first computing device obtains from a key management entity: (i) a first private key assigned to the first computing device, which is computationally associative with a first public key associated with the first computing device; and (ii) a first root key assigned to the first computing device. The first computing device chooses a first random value and generating a first nonce, wherein the first nonce is a result of an encryption of the first random value using the first root key. The first computing device generates a first key component based on the first random value. The first computing device encrypts the first nonce and the first key component with a second public key associated with the second computing device using an identity-based encryption process and sends the encrypted first nonce and the encrypted first key component to the second computing device so as to establish a security association with the second computing device. The security association is discoverable by a third computing device unbeknownst to the first computing device and the second computing device.